Test-to-treat services still out of reach for many Americans

As the national "test-to-treat" program enters its second month, many Americans still lack access to the services, Kaiser Health News reported April 15.

The initiative, launched in early March, allows people with COVID-19 symptoms to get tested at pharmacies and receive free antiviral pills on the spot. The program aims to prevent high-risk individuals from being hospitalized with the virus.

Many parts of the country did not have participating test-to-treat sites as of April 14, according to a national map on the White House's new "one-stop shop" COVID-19 website. No test-to-treat sites were listed in Wyoming and South Dakota other than military clinics, which aren't open to the public. In dozens of other regions, people would have to drive more than 100 miles to visit a participating site, KHN found. 

The initial test-to-treat roll-out has focused on large retail chains that offer on-site healthcare services, such as CVS Minute Clinics. Only pharmacies that have prescribing authorities on site can participate in the program, which has limited the eligible pool. CVS also experienced a website glitch that failed to show testing appointment availability in about half of participating locations, a spokesperson told KHN

In total, 91 percent of participating sites listed on the federal COVID-19 website are retail pharmacy chains, federally qualified health centers and clinics run through the military or Indian Health Service. HHS is working with state and local health officials to identify other potential participants it can add to the national list of participating sites. For example, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital is offering testing and antiviral delivery services to patients — effectively running its own test-to-treat operation — but is not on the national list. 

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