ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan and CVS Health today announced 17 new COVID-19 test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations across Maryland. The opening of additional test sites across the state will be announced by the end of the month.

This announcement comes two days after Governor Hogan signed an emergency order authorizing the state’s nearly 1,200 pharmacies to order and administer COVID-19 tests as part of Maryland’s long-term testing strategy. Beginning today at Timonium Fairgrounds in Baltimore County, state-operated drive-thru sites will be offering appointment-free COVID-19 testing, including for those who are asymptomatic.

“Following our announcement that Maryland has reached a critical milestone in its long-term COVID-19 testing strategy by dramatically expanding the availability of testing for residents, these new, additional sites are another important step to further increase testing access for communities across Maryland,” said Governor Hogan. “We will continue working closely with CVS Health and all of our partners in the private sector, along with Maryland’s world-class health care systems and local governments, to protect residents’ health and safety and support our state’s safe and gradual recovery.”

The CVS sites will utilize self-swab tests and mark the next phase of the company’s nationwide COVID-19 testing strategy, announced April 27. The 17 test sites in Maryland are part of nearly 350 locations across 14 states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

“While the large-scale test sites we’ve been operating since early April have proven successful, this new approach allows us to utilize our presence in communities across the country and bring testing closer to home,” said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO of CVS Health. “Our frontline employees will continue to play a critical role in the testing process, with members of their communities directly benefiting from their dedication and selflessness.”

Once fully operational, more than half of the company’s 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index. The index tracks a variety of census variables, including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing that may weaken a community’s ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events like natural disasters and disease outbreaks.

Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to age guidelines. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 22 to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions. A CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days.

Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB, and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients.