Consumer Alert:
Attorney General James and Pharmacy Executives Applaud New York’s Expansion of COVID-19 Testing to Pharmacies

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and representatives from major nationwide pharmacies today responded to the State of New York’s expansion of COVID-19 tests to local pharmacies.

“I am grateful that New York will begin to take advantage of its vast system of pharmacies to provide COVID-19 tests to more New Yorkers than ever before,” said Attorney General James. “It is critically important for us to increase the availably for testing in order to accurately capture the scope of the virus in our communities. I encourage all of those eligible to utilize these new testing opportunities.”

“New York State has made a significant step in curbing the COVID-19 crisis by working with pharmacists to provide the increased testing needed at this critical time. Pharmacists play a key role in the health and wellbeing of this country, and they have routinely shown that they are able to step in when we need them most. We will continue to work closely with Attorney General James and other officials across the state to ensure that pharmacists have all the resources needed to support New Yorkers through amplified testing efforts,” said Steve Moore, president, Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY). “PSSNY is the largest organization in NY state representing the profession of pharmacy to promote and optimize public health and wellness through patient centric pharmacist care in the diverse communities pharmacy serves.” 

“Approval for pharmacists to conduct COVID-19 tests is a recognition of the critical role that pharmacists play in our communities,” said Emmanuel Kolady, senior vice president, CVS Health. “This action will help us as we expand our testing capabilities in New York. Working together, we can help slow the spread of the virus.”

“From the beginning of this crisis, we made it our mission to support our communities and associates and to move as quickly as we can to provide solutions,” said Heyward Donigan, president and chief executive officer, Rite Aid. “I’m incredibly proud of our pharmacy teams – it’s their hard work that has allowed Rite Aid to ramp up testing so quickly and enables us to expand testing criteria to include all adults exhibiting symptoms.”