The parking lot of Showcase Cinemas in Lowell has been transformed, now featuring a series of tents and medical professionals in protective gear. It is the first free rapid COVID-19 testing site in Massachusetts and can serve up to 1,000 people a day and takes only 15 minutes, on average.
“The on-the-spot results produced through this method will allow healthcare professionals to advise patients on appropriate treatment instantaneously,” said the press release. “Aiding in the effective containment of the virus.”
Through the use of Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 testing, results will be produced in an average of fifteen minutes, enabling patients to be informed of the results before departing the site.
Abbott Laboratories previously won Food and Drug Administration approval for a molecular test for COVID-19, which the company says can deliver “positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat this virus,” said Robert B. Ford, president and chief operating officer at Abbott. “With rapid testing on ID NOW, healthcare providers can perform molecular point-of-care testing outside the traditional four walls of a hospital in outbreak hotspots.”
The city partnered with CVS Health, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to facilitate the launch of the testing.
"The high volume of testing that will be conducted at this site will build upon the relentless work of Governor Baker and Secretary Sudders to expand the state's testing capacity, which is critically important in the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19," said City Manager Eileen Donoghue. "This site will significantly increase access to testing for Lowell residents and individuals from around the region.”
Shaun Judge of Showcase Cinemas offered the use of the parking lot, which was configured to accommodate testing by MEMA over the last several days. It is located at 32 Reiss Ave., where there have been tents set up for the first 1,000 people to start making their way through on Tuesday.
Patients will need to pre-register in advance online at CVS.com in order to schedule a same-day time slot for testing.
On Sunday, CVS Health launched similar testing operations in Rhode Island and Georgia. They have also operated a drive-through testing site for first responders in Shrewsbury since March. The pilot program in Shrewsbury will be halted with the opening of the testing site in Lowell.
As of Monday, 76,429 people in Massachusetts have been tested. There have been 13,837 confirmed cases in the state and 260 coronavirus-related deaths.
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