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Texas Walmart Starts Drone Delivery of COVID-19 Tests

El Paso, Texas, residents who live near a Walmart on the east side of the city can potentially get an at-home COVID-19 testing kit delivered by drone, after the delivery service started Tuesday.

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A DroneUp drone tech gets equipment ready for a live demonstration of a COVID-19 test drop. In partnership with Quest Diagnostics and DroneUp, Walmart announced the drone delivery system offered from the store at 1850 N. Zaragoza Road on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020.
TNS
(TNS) — El Pasoans living near an East Side Walmart can get an at-home COVID-19 testing kit delivered by drone. The service started Tuesday.

In partnership with Quest Diagnostics and DroneUp, Walmart on Tuesday announced the drone delivery system offered from the store at 1850 N. Zaragoza Road. The delivery will be to single-family homes within a 1.5 mile radius of the store and will depend on weather conditions.

Mayor Dee Margo, who was at the demonstration of the drone at the Walmart, said the drone-delivery service will help residents fight COVID-19 from the safety and comfort of their homes.

"There is still a way to go to combat COVID-19, but with the contributing partners (of the service), El Paso will continue to persevere as it always has," he said.

Residents can request the drone delivery appointment through the Get Drone test website. There is no delivery cost for patients who qualify to receive an at-home self-collection kit through the pilot program.

Patients also must meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local guidelines for testing and must be 18 years old or older. Patients can visit www.GetDroneTest.com for more information and to determine if they are eligible.

Once delivered, patients will perform a self-administered nasal swab in the privacy of their home. Patients will ship the sample to a Quest Diagnostics lab using a provided prepaid shipping envelope for processing at the lab and will receive their COVID-19 test results through the secure Quest Diagnostics MyQuest online portal or app, according to Walmart officials.

(c)2020 the El Paso Times, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.