Hy-Vee Expands Free COVID-19 Testing

Hy-Vee Inc. has expanded drive-thru COVID-19 testing to more than 150 Hy-Vee pharmacy locations throughout its eight-state Midwestern market area. Coordinated by Fort Worth, Texas-based eTrueNorth, the free tests were first introduced in August at 11 locations. Each pharmacy location can process up to 12 patients per hour.

People don’t have to be symptomatic to be tested. Also, children ages three and older can now get tested at Hy-Vee pharmacy sites when registered and accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Each location has testing windows on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, with hours varying by location, so patients should need to check online for the available testing hours at their particular location.

When registering online, patients will need to answer the questions and provide requested information to receive a test voucher number, testing site location and appointment time. The patient will then go to the specified test site pharmacy drive-thru with either a printed voucher number or the voucher number displayed on their phone before receiving a test kit. Hy-Vee pharmacy employees will provide the test kit, give instructions on how to self-administer the test and supervise its administration. The patient will then place the completed kit in a collection bin.

The whole test process takes about five minutes. From there, the Hy-Vee pharmacy collects the tests, which are sent to a lab via the United Parcel Service (UPS). Patients will receive results by email in three to five business days.

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 265 retail stores across eight Midwestern states. The company is No. 33 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on PG's list.