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Aamra Shaheen, a CVS pharmacy worker, administers the first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to a resident of an assisted living center in Alameda, Calif., On January 20.
CVS pharmacy worker Aamra Shaheen administers the first dose of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to a resident of an assisted living facility in Alameda, Calif., On January 20. Jessica Christian / The San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images

CVS, a partner in the U.S. federal program for immunizing residents and staff of long-term care facilities, said it has completed the first doses at all participating qualified nursing facilities as of Monday. The company administered 1,039,365 doses to 7,822 qualified nursing facilities.

As part of the federal partnership program, CVS and Walgreens are contracted to administer Covid-19 vaccines to more than 40,000 long-term care facilities, including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and other establishments. CVS plans to complete the administration of the first doses in all long-term care facilities by mid-February.

“We have delivered almost two million vaccines to one of our most vulnerable populations through site visits and, in many cases, room-to-room visits,” said Karen Lynch, vice president CVS Health Executive, in a press release.

Walgreens and CVS have been criticized for a slow rollout, with some nursing homes saying it took too long to get the photos. The company says doses given outside of assigned doses are not an accurate way to track its progress; dose allocations were based on the number of beds in long-term care facilities and doubled to account for staff, “but in most facilities the occupancy rate is much lower than the number of beds and the use of staff remains low.

Walgreens said last week that it plans to complete the administration of nearly all of its first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to residents and staff at nursing homes on Monday.

In its Monday press release, CVS said that a Covid-19 vaccine will eventually be available to the public in its pharmacies depending on vaccine availability and prioritization recommendations, and that it has the capacity to administer 20 to 25 million shots per month. Currently, CVS pharmacies in Indiana, Massachusetts and New York offer vaccines for specific age groups.

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