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A senior Oregon official told state lawmakers on Wednesday that the number of pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines was set to increase dramatically, with Bi-Mart stores across the state possibly starting. to be offering coronavirus vaccines by Thursday and Walmart stores Saturday or Sunday.
Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen said 15,400 of the 34,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine the state has already received are directed to pharmacies run by the two chains.
“Bi-Mart is expected to start being able to administer these doses very soon, potentially as early as tomorrow,” Allen told a COVID-19 subcommittee from state house. “Walmart needed a little more time to set up and it should be done over the coming weekend.”
The Oregonian / OregonLive contacted the two companies to confirm, but was unable to immediately contact company representatives.
Allen said pharmacies will become vitally important in delivering vaccines to Oregonians.
“It’s a channel that has been used a bit so far, at the rate of about 12,000 doses per week,” Allen said. “That number will start to skyrocket, as will the number of pharmacies involved.”
Allen said just over 130 pharmacies across the state are now delivering injections to the arms of Oregonians. He said there were nearly 600 pharmacies statewide, on “every corner,” and their proximity to communities across the state would prove to be a major advantage.
The pharmacies in Oregon that currently administer doses are Albertsons, Safeway, Costco, Walgreens, and Health Mart. The vaccinefinder.org website shows participating pharmacies.
Allen did not list the number of Bi-Marts and Walmarts who will vaccinate Oregonians. There are about 60 Bi-Mart stores and 45 Walmart stores in Oregon, although it is not clear from the companies’ websites whether each store had a drugstore.
The US Food and Drug Administration last Saturday authorized the emergency use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. One trial estimated the vaccine’s effectiveness at 72% in the United States with its single-dose regimen. The vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are estimated to be nearly 95% effective after two doses.
But Allen stressed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine cannot be compared “face to face” with Pfizer and Moderna because their trials took place at a time when the South African variant played no role in the United States. A later trial for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in South Africa found it to be effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths. The vaccine was 64% effective in South Africa.
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– Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee
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