Covid-19 is turning urgent care centers into America's go-to clinic

Urgent care is one of the few places you can get a coronavirus test on-demand. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [View on the web]( [Recode]( [Click to view images]( [Urgent care centers are cementing their role in American health care during Covid-19]( Across the United States in the past few months, it's been pretty normal to see lines outside of urgent care centers. These centers, which have been around since the 1980s, operate a bit like emergency rooms, where you can show up without an appointment and see a doctor quickly. For some patients, this service is leading to fewer visits to primary care doctors, who tend to offer more long-term care. But during the pandemic, certain medical problems feel more, well, urgent. Urgent care centers have become the go-to spot for coronavirus tests. In the absence of a national testing strategy, many of these clinics are broadcasting their ability to offer on-demand testing to anyone willing to wait for one. And it's proving to be a boon for their business. Visits to urgent care centers were up 10 percent in October, and it looks like the trend will likely continue even after the pandemic is over. Recode's Rani Molla spoke with several experts about how urgent care became such a key part of the health care system and what this means for the future of primary care. [Click to view images]( [State, federal antitrust lawsuits likely to challenge Facebook for buying rivals and weaponizing data]( The charges form a critical part of what could be a wide-ranging legal salvo, ultimately threatening to saddle Facebook with its toughest regulatory challenge in its nearly 17-year history. [ Tony Romm / [Washington Post]( ] [Click to view images]( ['Absolute right guy for the job': New cyber chief takes reins amid the chaos]( Colleagues say Brandon Wales, a career employee at DHS, is ideally suited to lead its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency after the president's firing of Chris Krebs. [ Eric Geller / [Politico]( ] [Click to view images]( [Amazon lays off dozens of employees at drone programme]( Restructuring comes as US tech giant turns to third parties to build component parts of long-awaited drone [ Dave Lee / [Financial Times]( ] [Click to view images]( [Wonder Woman 1984 will debut on HBO Max this Christmas]( The film will still see a theatrical release, but it's a big move for the long-delayed blockbuster. [ Allegra Frank / [Vox]( ] [Click to view images]( [Why the new PlayStation and Xbox are such a big deal]( New video games are released all the time. New consoles are much, much rarer. [ Allegra Frank / [Vox]( ] [This is Cool Section Title] [Here is a photo of a single atom]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( Twitter [Instagram]( [Recode by Vox]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving emails from Vox Media. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.