Rite Aid and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), together with BioReference Laboratories, Inc., an OPKO Health company, announced a ‘Back to School' COVID-19 testing program offering students at New York State public schools the opportunity for free COVID-19 testing prior to or at the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Students will be tested using highly accurate RT-PCR laboratory-based COVID-19 tests. To participate in New York's ‘Back to School' testing program, students must pre-register and schedule a COVID-19 test appointment at one of the 115 Rite Aid drive-thru locations throughout New York State prior to returning to the classroom.

Testing appointments will become available prior to the start of the school year, and individuals are required to pre-register and schedule a time slot for testing at bioreferencelabs.bioreference.com/nyschooltesting. Students ages 4-17 must access testing with consent from a parent or legal guardian and be accompanied by a guardian at time of testing in the drive-thru. The ‘Back to School' program includes The Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT), which is a program that helps reduce disease spread in schools, ensures that schools are safe environments for learning, and supports the reopening of schools.

The ICATT complements other U.S. government efforts to expand testing in schools, such as the Health and Human Services (HHS) Expanded Testing Initiative Hub Program announced in February, and the $10 billion funding announced by HHS in March through the CDC's Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Cooperative Agreement. Digital results will be delivered to parents for students to bring to school. COVID-19 testing is voluntary and will be provided at no cost to the student's family or to the school district for this program.