Walgreens will offer at-home PCR tests at Twin Cities locations
Walgreens stores in the Twin Cities area are now offering at-home PCR COVID-19 tests.
According to an announcement from Walgreens last week, the pharmacy chain will offer tests for curbside or in-store pickup at more than 1,000 locations through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Labcorp.
Through the program, the stores will offer Pixel PCR tests, which are produced by Labcorp. The tests will be free, according to the announcement.
People can then send their samples back to Walgreens for testing by dropping it off in store or through FedEx.
Walgreens says it prioritized stores with drive-through services for the program. In the Twin Cities, this includes stores in Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, Edina, Hopkins and Minnetonka, according to its website.
You can order a test for pickup here.
“With many state-operated COVID-19 testing sites closing, accessible free testing options are limited, even as cases continue to rise in certain areas of the U.S.,” Walgreens president John Standley said in a statement.
“This means some are struggling to afford critical COVID-19-related services like testing.”
State-run testing sites at the Stillwater Armory, Hutchinson Armory, and Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown St. Paul all closed last month. The state did open a new location in the Midtown neighborhood of St. Paul.
Walgreens also pointed to Minnesota’s positivity rate for its samples, which was more than 29% as of Thursday.
