One of Alaska’s largest private COVID testing providers plans to shutter all of its public testing sites in Alaska by June 30. Dramatically reduced testing volume in recent weeks made operations financially unsustainable, a Capstone Clinic official said.
A woman with Capstone Clinic prepares to administer a COVID-19 test in Anchorage on Sept. 7, 2021.
For a while, Capstone was able to absorb the costs, but low testing volume in recent weeks eventually made operations financially unsustainable, Jones said this week. Capstone’s decision comes at a moment when Alaska’s COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are again on the rise: On Wednesday, the state reported a 35% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations compared to the previous week, and federal rankingsThe impact the site closures could have on Alaskans’ access to COVID-19 tests wasn’t immediately clear. In Anchorage,are still up and running, plus one at the Alaska Airlines Center.
Alaskans in those communities will still be able to access at-home rapid tests or through local pharmacies, Jones said. During the peak of the pandemic, the company was operating 21 testing and vaccination sites around the state, including some in communities where Capstone was the sole provider.
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