A member of the Rhode Island National Guard, center right, greets a visitor in a vehicle at a coronavirus testing site, Monday, April 6, 2020, at Twin River Casino, in Lincoln, R.I. Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Monday that CVS Health is rolling out a free, rapid COVID-19 test at the new drive-through testing site. Results from tests being administered at the site could be ready in as little as 15 minutes, the governor said.
Rhode Island is reopening two state-run COVID-19 testing sites Monday in response to increased demand.
The testing sites at the Smithfield Veterans of Foreign Wars post and the Barrington Shopping Center will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, the state Department of Health announced.
Like most state-run testing sites, appointments are required.
The state plans to expand its capacity to start offering more than 5,000 appointments per day, which would be in addition to testing being done at pharmacies and other private sites.
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“Whether or not you’re fully vaccinated, get tested right away if you get symptoms of COVID-19, even if you think it’s just a cold or allergies,” the health department said.
As the delta variant spreads, the state’s daily positivity rate has climbed to 3.4% as of Friday, according to the department.
In addition, state residents who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are now eligible for third doses, available at the Sockanosset Crossroads vaccination site in Cranston and at hospital vaccination sites.
There are approximately 35,000 people in Rhode Island who are considered moderately to severely immunocompromised, the department said.
