• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Wellesley Square
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Camp
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Live government meetings
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Fire & police scanner
  • 2023 Town Election
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley CVS nixed for drive-thru COVID-19 testing

May 14, 2020 by Bob Brown 3 Comments

Wellesley CVS covid-19The Town of Wellesley says that CVS will not be offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing at its Linden Square store after all.

CVS had originally included the Wellesley location on its list of 10 new drive-thru sites in Massachusetts, as we reported yesterday.

“CVS Health is committed to helping increase COVID-19 testing in Massachusetts to help slow the spread of the virus. We’re also committed to being a good partner with local officials in the communities we serve and to listen to their concerns,” CVS said in a statement. “At this time, our Linden St. store in Wellesley will not be one of our stores providing COVID-19 testing at drive-thru windows as previously announced. We are proceeding with drive-thru testing at 9 other locations in Massachusetts, and plan to add more by the end of May.”  

The Wellesley location immediately raised questions for some in town given that the parking lot CVS shares with Roche Brothers and other businesses can get crowded. The Rte. 9 CVS was not an option because it doesn’t have a MinuteClinic.
Though others, including readers commenting on our Facebook page, said Wellesley should have welcomed such a clinic. “This about sums up the town – when it’s time to pick one Minute Clinic we want to remain, it’s Linden Street because it’s more convenient, but when there are actual sick people, they should go to the Wellesley/Natick line.”

Wellesley CVS covid-19

The Wellesley site wouldn’t have been near any of the others, raising worries that the location would become a hub for metrowest. Other CVSes on the list: Bridgewater, Carver, Charlton, Danvers, Raynham, Northampton, Worcester, West Springfield and Westport. Wellesley was included on the list cited by Gov. Charlie Baker during his press conference on Thursday early afternoon.

CVS is already offering large-scale test sites in 5 states, including Massachusetts (at a cinema in Lowell), and vowed in April to expand its efforts by offering testing in drive-thrus and parking lots. No in-store testing. By the end of May, CVS expects to be offering this service at 1,000 locations with the goal of processing 1.5 million tests a month.

The store drive-thru locations are a self-swab and send model, where swabs are conducted by the patient in their car, and specimens are sent to a nearby lab, with results available in 2-4 days. A CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly.

Predictably, this story about not doing something to avoid crowding is now attracting NIMBY-thirsty TV news stations, which will likely follow up on our coverage and head over to the parking lot…

Note: In fact, we didn’t find a crowd of TV stations, but there was 1 there…

Wellesley CVS covid-19

local news working overtime

print

Filed Under: COVID-19, Health

Comments

  1. Michael Maggard says

    May 14, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    The Rt 9 CVS did have a Minute Clinic; I may have been it’s last client before it closed. While I’m not privy to what is behind locked doors the space is still there in the store,.

    Reply
  2. Virtue Signaler says

    May 15, 2020 at 9:50 am

    “We are all in this together!”

    Reply
  3. Maryellen Joyce says

    May 16, 2020 at 7:19 am

    Good ‘ol Wellesley. They’re just too good to be true.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Beacon Hill Athletic Club, Wellesley
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cheesy Street Grill
Mature Caregivers
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Letters-to-the-editor day in Wellesley—important election-time updates
  • Wellesley business buzz: Board business liaison phased out; Help ID top business leaders of color; Hospital taps new president
  • Wellesley Cotillion makes a strong comeback
  • Business buzz: Nantucket wine bar to boast Wasik's cheeses; Needham Bank has new Wellesley branch manager; Thanks to new sponsor Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs

Upcoming Events

Jan 26
9:00 am - 10:30 am

Select Board office hours—in-person or online

Jan 31
9:00 am - 11:00 am Recurring

Coffee and Conversation with the Wetlands Administrator and Staff

Jan 31
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Families Eat Together online presentation

Feb 1
11:59 pm

Deadline for Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grants application

Feb 3
10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sara Campbell winter warehouse sale

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • LADY WELLESLEY on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Peggy Heffernan on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Beth Dublin on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Erika on Where to buy the Wellesleyest stuff in Wellesley
  • Alice Roy on Inside Track has jewel of a Wellesley engagement scoop

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • 2023 Town Election (2)
  • Animals (428)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (592)
  • Beyond Wellesley (52)
  • Books (376)
  • Business (1,556)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (53)
  • Churches (82)
  • Clubs (236)
  • Construction (300)
  • Dump (130)
  • Education (3,189)
    • Babson College (252)
    • Bates Elementary School (18)
    • Dana Hall School (36)
    • Fiske Elementary School (11)
    • Hardy Elementary School (47)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (46)
    • MassBay (57)
    • Schofield Elementary School (26)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (613)
    • Wellesley High School (996)
    • Wellesley Middle School (204)
  • Embracing diversity (84)
  • Entertainment (814)
  • Environment (772)
  • Fashion (144)
  • Finance (15)
  • Fire (173)
  • Food (358)
  • Fundraising (641)
  • Gardens (164)
  • Government (604)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (15)
  • Health (866)
    • COVID-19 (203)
  • Hikes (6)
  • History (399)
  • Holidays (440)
  • Houses (162)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (867)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (10)
  • Letters to the Editor (71)
  • Media (72)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (13)
  • Morses Pond (109)
  • Music (579)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (280)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (86)
  • Outdoors (655)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (778)
    • Crime (395)
  • Politics (554)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (344)
  • Religion (138)
  • Restaurants (340)
  • Safety (155)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (127)
  • Shopping (163)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (1,012)
    • Athlete of the Week (12)
  • STEM (108)
  • Technology (165)
  • Theatre (397)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (240)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,244)
  • Volunteering (350)
  • Weather (179)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (280)
  • Wellesley Holiday Gift Guide (2)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (20)

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login