Parents of younger children now have a new testing option when it comes to the coronavirus health pandemic. Walgreens has just announced they will be expanding their testing of the virus and offering free COVID-19 tests for children ages 3 and up. Previously testing at Walgreens locations was only available to those over the age of 18.
The company made the announcement in an effort to help increase the availability of testing in local communities. “We’re continuing to expand our COVID-19 testing program to improve access in the communities we serve, and this will help to address the growing need for testing for children and adolescents,” Rick Gates, senior vice president of pharmacy, at Walgreens said in a statement. “As more health departments and school administrators continue efforts to bring students back to classrooms in a safe and thoughtful manner, and to help parents and guardians seeking access to testing when warranted for their children, we’re proud to be a community testing resource for individuals and families – including those age 3 and over.”
If you're looking to get yourself or your child tested you can visit the Walgreens testing hub online to find a store near you and schedule your test. If you're making an appointment for a minor you will need to provide electronic consent for the test and a parent or guardian will be required to accompany any minor to get their test. A member of the Walgreens pharmacy team will then give the parent or guardian present instructions on how to administer the test to the child. "Adolescents may self-administer the COVID-19 test if desired."
If you meet CDC criteria, the test will be free of charge with results expected anywhere from 24 to 72 hours, depending on how busy the labs are at that time. Walgreens currently offers COVID-19 testing at approximately 620 locations and is hoping to open an additional 80 locations for testing. "The company continues to focus on underserved communities as part of its testing program, with more than 70 percent of Walgreens testing sites currently located in areas that the CDC has identified as socially vulnerable."
Testing and identifying those with the virus is crucial at this time, especially with many people who have it being asymptomatic. Many people also require negative tests for their children to attend school or extracurricular activities so having this extra option for testing is important. If you would like to know more about Walgreens COVID-19 testing you can visit their website, here.