Twin Cities get 2 new COVID ‘test-to-treat’ sites offering antiviral medication

Nick Woltman, Pioneer Press
·2 min read

COVID-19 testing sites in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood and at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will soon offer prescriptions for the antiviral medication Paxlovid to people who test positive and are at risk of severe disease.

This “test-to-treat” option will be available at the airport beginning Thursday and at the former Herberger’s department store at 1400 W. University Ave. beginning Monday, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Those who test positive can choose to be evaluated by an on-site clinician, who will determine whether an antiviral prescription is the appropriate treatment. For now, patients will pick up their medication at a the pharmacy of their choice, but officials hope to eventually dispense the antivirals directly at the test-to-treat sites.

The airport location will be administered by the federal government, while the St. Paul site will be run by MDH. They join Minnesota’s three existing federally run test-to-treat sites that opened earlier this month in Brooklyn Park, Moorhead and Duluth, which have so far prescribed medication to more than 300 patients.

“COVID-19 medication is a very important tool in our toolbox to help prevent severe disease and keep people out of the hospital, and test-to-treat makes it easier for eligible Minnesotans to receive these medicines,” Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm said in a prepared statement. “Minnesotans who feel ill and are at high-risk of severe COVID-19 should visit a test-to-treat site or speak to their health care provider to see if medication is right for them.”

In addition to these government-run sites, there are 60 other test-to-treat locations across the state, primarily at clinics and pharmacies.

Meanwhile, MDH also announced Wednesday that a handful of state-run testing sites across the state will close by the end of the month, including the Bloomington location and seven others outside the metro. Officials said demand for tests has declined recently and the state is seeking to preserve resources to prepare for the possibility of future case surges.

The metro’s three busiest state-run testing sites — Brooklyn Park, MSP Airport and 1400 W. University Ave. in St. Paul — will remain open until further notice, along with those in Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead and St. Cloud.

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