Questionable COVID-19 Test Site Pops Up In Worcester

WORCESTER, MA — A coronavirus testing company whose practices have been questioned in others states has opened a site in Worcester, attracting long lines of people seeking a rapid antigen or PCR test.

The Worcester Center for COVID Control site is located in a small commercial strip near Grafton and Plantation streets. A sign hanging from above the doorway advertises "free COVID-19 testing" with no appointments needed. About a dozen people were waiting outside the storefront in 11-degree temperatures on Tuesday afternoon.

Other Center for COVID Control test sites have popped up in Massachusetts in Needham and Dartmouth. There are two in Rhode Island in West Warwick and Smithfield. The company has about 300 locations nationwide.

According to news reports, visitors to other Center for COVID Control sites across the U.S. have reported not receiving test results, bare bones staffing and lax mask rules. In Texas, health officials discovered that a Center for COVID Control site was not reporting test results to local health officials as required by law. A city in Wisconsin this week warned residents about a Center for COVID Control site there.

One family in Florida received negative test results while they were still in line, according to a report.

Reached by phone, a representative at the company's Chicago-area office directed questions to an email address. A separate phone call to the company's call center resulted in an estimated wait time of close to an hour.

Over two dozen people have left negative reviews of the Worcester site on Google. Several people complained of not receiving rapid test results after as long as nine days — even though rapid test results typically take 15 minutes. Other reviewers complained of the site being closed during advertised hours.

"Rude staff and only had rapid testing not pcr. false advertising," one reviewer wrote.

On its website, the company says rapid results typically get delivered within three hours via email, and PCR tests can take as long as 48 hours. The company say it uses a "CDC approved & licensed laboratory," but does not name the lab.

A spokesman from the Worcester City Manager's office said city officials were aware of the site.

Related: MA Getting 26M Rapid Tests, With Focus On Schools

The pop-up site has opened during a coronavirus testing crunch in Worcester, and a big surge in cases. The main UMass Memorial PCR testing site at the Mercantile Center has seen waits stretching to two hours in recent weeks. The site was closed on Tuesday due to frigid temperatures.

Rapid antigen tests are available at local pharmacies, but the kits often fly off store shelves. Worcester received an allotment of about 67,000 rapid test kits in December and has been distributing them to social services agencies across the city.

If you're looking for a coronavirus test in the Worcester area, visit the state's testing website. Apart from the UMass Memorial site, a variety of urgent care centers and pharmacies offer tests by appointment.