Epidemiologist Says He Fears US Variants of Covid-19 ‘Beating Us At The Vaccination Game’

CVS is now providing Covid-19 vaccines through the federal retail pharmacy program in 29 states and Puerto Rico, the drugstore chain said in a press release on Thursday.

This is almost double the 17 states where CVS previously offered vaccinations.

“We are increasing the number of active stores and expanding to other states as quickly as supply permits,” Karen S. Lynch, president and CEO of CVS Health said in the release.

Appointments in newly activated states and jurisdictions will begin to be available for booking on Saturday, March 13, CVS said.

CVS now offers vaccines in nearly 1,200 stores in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.

Not all CVS sites in these states offer vaccines, and eligibility requirements in each jurisdiction still apply.

The Biden administration announced last week that participants in the federal retail pharmacy program would prioritize teachers and educators.

“From March 3 to March 10, this population represented more than 30 percent of appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine at CVS pharmacies,” according to the CVS statement.