Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) today announced continued efforts to increase access to COVID-19 testing in partnership with health care providers statewide.

• On Tuesday, an additional Roche testing machine was secured for Sonora Quest Laboratories to expand testing in the state. 

• ADHS will provide additional funding to laboratories, as needed, for testing services. 

• Over the weekend, ADHS provided 10,000 specimen collection kits to Sonora Quest Laboratories to assist with increased demand.

These efforts build on previous actions to expand testing in Arizona, including:

• Providing $1 million each to Sonora Quest Laboratories and TGen to support COVID-19 testing.

• Distributing 51,462 specimen collection kits to health care partners, laboratories and local health departments.

• Assisting with procuring equipment, reagents, test kits, and testing supplies for Arizona testing laboratories.

Since April, PCR diagnostic testing has increased nearly 250% from 53,842 tests in April to 188,008 so far in June. More than 445,000 PCR tests have been done in Arizona since the start of the pandemic. 

“We know there is a high demand for testing in Arizona, and our public health team is working tirelessly with health care partners and private testing labs to develop new strategies to alleviate the wait times for testing and results,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “We’re grateful for the support and advocacy of our health care community and our federal partners in delivering for Arizonans.”

“Testing is an important public health tool to help us track COVID-19 and to implement mitigation strategies to slow the spread of the disease in Arizona, so we have been working with our health care partners to increase access to testing statewide,” said Dr. Cara Christ, ADHS director. “We know COVID-19 is widespread in every county in Arizona, and I urge everyone to take precautions to protect themselves and their families from the disease.”

Arizonans can take the following precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19:

• Stay home when you are sick

• Wear a mask every time you are in public, even if you do not feel sick.  

• Physically distance by staying at least six feet away from others who are not in your household when you are in public. 

• Avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. 

• Arizonans at higher risk for severe illness should continue to stay at home and avoid crowded public spaces. People at higher risk for severe illness include adults 65 or older and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) and immediately throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Health care providers are offering testing at more than 180 testing locations statewide. People are encouraged to follow the instructions on the testing website as many of the health care providers require individuals to preregister for testing and may have other requirements to get tested. Testing locations can be found online at azhealth.gov/testing. 

CVS Health expands COVID-19 testing capabilities

In an ongoing effort to help slow the spread of the virus, CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) today expanded its COVID-19 testing program by announcing 15 additional test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations across Arizona. The opening of additional test sites on Friday, June 26 add to the 49 locations previously opened in Arizona. 

The opening of these new sites reflects the company’s commitment to meeting ongoing demand for testing, as well as expanding testing capacity to respond to a surge in new COVID-19 cases. The nearly 200 additional test sites opening across the country this week are among the more than 1,400 locations CVS Health has opened since May and expand the company’s testing capacity to more than 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity.

In addition to the drive-thru sites, CVS Health has partnered with a number of community organizations to open eight rapid-response community testing sites across the country, including a site at St. Vincent de Paul’s Virginia G. Piper Medical & Dental Clinic in Phoenix, which aim to increase access to testing for uninsured and underserved populations who are at highest risk for COVID-19.

 The additional new testing sites in Arizona include:

• CVS Pharmacy, 5400 East Carefree Highway, Carefree, AZ 85377

• CVS Pharmacy, 2371 East Guadalupe Street, Gilbert, AZ 85234

• CVS Pharmacy, 5125 West Olive Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85302

• CVS Pharmacy, 9856 West Peoria Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85345

• CVS Pharmacy, 6650 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85043

• CVS Pharmacy, 3210 East Union Hills, Phoenix, AZ 85032

• CVS Pharmacy, 2406 East Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85216

• CVS Pharmacy, 3610 West Anthem Way, Phoenix, AZ 85086

• CVS Pharmacy, 28635 North Valley Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85085

• CVS Pharmacy, 7552 Indian School Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

• CVS Pharmacy, 7111 East Bell Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

• CVS Pharmacy, 1424 West Baseline Road, Tempe, AZ 85283

• CVS Pharmacy, 7740 North Cortaro Road, Tucson, AZ 85743

• CVS Pharmacy, 1900 West Valencia Road, Tucson, AZ 85746

• CVS Pharmacy, 1555 South Avenue B, Yuma, AZ 85364 

A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here.