Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends
Subscribe to free eNewsletters from Supermarket News
Sponsored By
Hy-Vee adds more drive-up COVID-19 test sites
Midwestern grocer now offers free testing at 165 pharmacies
Russell Redman
November 5, 2020
2 Min Read
At the test sites, customers receive a self-administered nasal swab coronavirus test kit from a member of the Hy-Vee pharmacy team.Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee has deployed coronavirus testing to another 12 drive-thru pharmacies and extended testing hours at 21 drive-up pharmacy locations.
West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee said this week that, with the expansion, it now provides free COVID-19 tests at 165 drive-thru pharmacies across its eight-state market area. The Midwestern grocer launched coronavirus testing on a limited basis at nearly a dozen pharmacies in August and then expanded coverage to over 150 locations in October.
The new COVID-19 test sites include Hy-Vee drive-thru pharmacies in Cedar Rapids (two locations), Centerville, Charles City, Clarinda, Coralville and Dubuque (two), Iowa; Columbus, Grand Island and Kearney, Neb.; and Springfield, Mo.
Hy-Vee expanded coronavirus testing hours at drive-up pharmacies in four states: Ilinois (two locations), Iowa (five), Minnesota (11) and Missouri (three). Testing times and dates vary by location but run 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday at most sites.
Hy-Vee expanded COVID-19 testing hours at 21 drive-up pharmacies in Ilinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri.
To get a COVID test from Hy-Vee, customers must first register online to receive a test voucher number, at which time they also will be given a specific testing site and an appointment time. Individuals don’t need to have COVID-19 symptoms to be tested, the retailer noted.
Hy-Vee’s COVID-19 tests are coordinated by eTrueNorth. At the test site, patients provide a printed voucher number or show the voucher number on their smartphone. Next, they receive a self-administered nasal swab test kit from a Hy-Vee pharmacy employee, who explains how to perform the test and supervises the process. The patient then drops the completed test kit in a collection bin.
Each pharmacy location can accommodate up to 12 patients per hour, and the testing takes about five minutes, Hy-Vee said. Upon collecting all the tests, the Hy-Vee pharmacies ship them to a lab via UPS. Results are delivered via email in three to five business days.
Hy-Vee operates more than 275 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
For our most up-to-date coverage, visit the coronavirus homepage.
