Walgreens to bring drive-thru COVID-19 tests to additional Illinois stores

Deerfield-based Walgreens will expand its drive-thru testing for COVID-19 to 15 sites across Illinois and six other states, the company announced Tuesday.

The company will be using tests developed by North Chicago’s Abbott Laboratories, which can deliver positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results within 13 minutes. The new locations are being finalized with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the company said in a statement.

“We’re continuing to do everything we can, both with our own resources and also by partnering with others, to serve as an access point within the community for COVID-19 testing,” Walgreens President Richard Ashworth said in a statement.

The other six states are Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. The company opened its first drive-thru testing site last month in Bolingbrook for first responders, healthcare workers and seniors with symptoms.

Testing will be available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients will need to pre-register in advance to schedule an appointment for testing.

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