BOSTON (AP) – Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker laid out an ambitious testing goal Thursday that he said will create the largest coronavirus testing program on a per capita basis anywhere in the world.
The plan calls for boosting overall capacity to 45,000 tests a day by the end of July and 75,000 tests a day by the end of December – the equivalent of 27 million tests per year, Baker said. The goal is to decrease the positive test rate to less than 5% while helping labs increase capacity before a potential testing surge in the fall.
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The state will continue to target tests toward vulnerable populations, including medical workers, residents and staff in assisted living facilities, and the incarcerated.
Some of the expanded testing will also be used for randomized tests to help look for potential outbreaks.
Baker stopped short of calling for universal testing, saying tests should be used strategically.
“It’s a valuable tool, testing, but it’s not the only tool that we have to fight back against the virus,” Baker said.
Other tools include social distancing, the use of masks or facial coverings, and frequent hand washing or hand sanitizing.
The state is also continuing to track down personal protective equipment, Baker said at the press conference.
From April 20 through last weekend, six chartered flights from China have landed in Massachusetts carrying more than 7.5 million pieces of protective gear — the vast majority of them masks, Baker said.
Once the planes land, the gear is inspected, transported to a warehouse, tested and then distributed.
Baker called the shipments a “big win” for Massachusetts and defended the decision to scour the globe.
“You go where you have to go to get it,” the Republican said.
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CVS COVID-19 test sites
CVS is opening 10 new COVID-19 test sites at Massachusetts pharmacy locations starting Friday, the company said.
The Massachusetts locations are among 51 new sites that will also begin operating in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, and Pennsylvania, the Rhode Island-based company said in a statement Thursday.
The new sites will utilize self-swab tests that won’t require people to get out of their vehicles. No testing will be done in the stores.
Patients will be given a test kit and instructions at the drive-thru window. A qualified CVS employee will observe the test to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to a third-party lab for processing, with results available in about three days.
Preregistration for the tests is required.
CVS Health expects to have up to 1,000 locations across the country offering the service by the end of May, with the goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month.
Steve LeBlanc and Mark Pratt are reporters for The Associated Press.
