coronavirus testing

How to Get COVID-19 Tested at CVS Pharmacy in San Diego County

The facilities ask patients to use a self-swab test in their car while being monitored by pharmacy technicians. Appointments must be made online

NBCUniversal, Inc.

CVS Pharmacy has opened more than a dozen drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in San Diego County in the brand's effort to detect the disease before it spreads.

Three additional testing sites opened Friday, adding to the 14 testing sites already in operation in the county, CVS Pharmacy said.

CVS Health now has more than 140 testing sites in California and more than 1,400 testing sites across the United States.

The facilities ask patients to use a self-swab test in their car while being monitored by pharmacy technicians, who provide the test kit and instructions. Tests are then sent to an independent third-party lab, with results available in about three days, according to CVS Health.

The company committed in April to opening 1,000 testing sites with the ability to process up to 1.5 million tests a month.

Not everyone will be able to get a test. The test will be provided to people who meet Centers for Disease Control (CDC) testing criteria, which prioritizes those with symptoms, those in at-risk populations and those who may have been exposed to the virus.

Patients must first complete a form in advance online. Click here for more information.

In San Diego County, the testing sites are at CVS pharmacies located at:

  • 2650 Gateway Road, Carlsbad
  • 7740 Rancho Santa Fe Road, Carlsbad
  • 16 3rd Ave. Extension, Chula Vista
  • 645 East Palomar St., Chula Vista
  • 1299 Broadway, El Cajon
  • 572 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon
  • 800 Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach
  • 4615 Frazee Road, Oceanside
  • 1980 College Boulevard, Oceanside
  • 1810 Main Street, Ramona
  • 14589 Camino Del Norte, San Diego
  • 6265 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego
  • 3350 Palm Ave., San Diego
  • 9225 Twin Trails Drive, San Diego
  • 1302 West Mission Road, San Marcos
  • 997 Woodland Parkway, San Marcos
  • 31771 Rancho California Road, Temecula
  • 635 South Melrose Drive, Vista
  • A complete list can be found here.

CVS Health said more than half of their test sites will serve vulnerable communities, determined by the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index which relies on data points like poverty, lack of access to transportation and crowded housing.

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