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The effort to immunize more Americans against Corona virus now includes large retail drugstore chains.
National drugstore chains CVS Health and Walgreens are among more than 20 large retailers sourcing COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government this week. But getting vaccinated is not as easy as walking through the door of the pharmacy. Indeed, consumers are discouraged from rushing into stores, but rather queuing up by making an appointment online or by phone.
The federal program will be implemented in stages, depending on available vaccine stocks, shipments will arrive as early as Thursday, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The federal government is providing 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the start of the program,” a CDC spokesperson said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. “We are not able to confirm how many doses will be provided each week to pharmacy partners over the next few weeks, but weekly allocations are expected to increase eventually as vaccine supply increases.
In total, the federal government is partnering with 21 national drugstore chains and independent networks to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines across the United States, according to the agency. Participating pharmacies vary state to state, with the CDC offering state-by-state accounting of retailers who will receive doses of the vaccine this week.
In Alabama, for example, Walmart pharmacies will receive federal shipments of the vaccine, while in California, CVS and Rite Aid are expected to receive doses. Vaccine shipments go to Hy-Vee and CPESN USA sites in Iowa, and to Albertsons, Costco and Health Mart pharmacies in Washington State. Find your state here.
Walgreens and CVS Health
Walgreens plans to give a limited number of COVID-19 vaccinations in 15 states and jurisdictions as part of the federal program starting Friday, with healthcare workers, people 65 and older, and people with illnesses pre-existing among potential applicants, according to state guidelines. Consumers can use Walgreens’ appointment scheduler, even though the system reportedly went down temporarily on Tuesday.
The CDC will ship a limited number of doses to Walgreens in Chicago and other areas in Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York and New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. The company also administers the vaccine with local allocations in parts of Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas , did he declare.
Originally slated to begin Thursday, CVS has postponed the start of its pharmacy vaccination effort until Friday at a limited number of sites in 11 states, with the company’s scheduling system scheduled to open on CVS.com or the CVS Pharmacy app. Thursday. Those without online access can call (800) 746-4287.
“Because active stores will change regularly based on vaccine supply, CVS Health will not provide a full list of participating sites,” he said in an update Monday.
Initial CVS rollout will involve approximately 250,000 total doses to be administered to eligible individuals in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Additionally, CVS uses state vaccine allocations to deliver in-store vaccines to eligible populations in Indiana and Ohio.
“As supplies become available, the company will expand to other states while increasing the number of stores offering vaccines,” said the chain, which operates nearly 10,000 pharmacies across the country. country.
Walmart, Sam’s Club and Rite Aid
More than 1,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in 22 states are receiving federal vaccine allocations this week, with vaccines scheduled to be administered starting Friday. This includes Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
The retail giant is also giving vaccinations using the state allowance in 11 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. (You can see if a Walmart pharmacy near you administers the COVID-19 vaccine here and confirm eligibility and schedule an appointment here.)
“Ninety percent of the country lives within 10 miles of a Walmart. We are at the heart of many rural and underserved communities, and we are committed to providing access to vaccines as groups become eligible. “Dr. Cheryl Pegus, Walmart’s vice director president, Health and Wellness, said in a press release Tuesday.
Rite Aid receives federal doses at some of its pharmacies in five states and two municipal jurisdictions: California, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and its largest city, Philadelphia and New York, a spokesperson said in an email. at CBS MoneyWatch. “These allocations will complement existing and ongoing state and local allocations,” he added.
The Rite Aid chain, which operates 2,450 stores in 18 states, has limited information on registering for a vaccination here.
Publix, Costco and Kroger
Publix announced Tuesday that it is opening appointments Wednesday to administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to eligible people at 593 Publix pharmacies in 41 counties in Florida, using doses provided by the state and federal government. Publix pharmacies have also administered the vaccine to people in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. The company’s online reservation system can be found here.
Costco offers a limited number of COVID-19 vaccines, typically Moderna, in parts of New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, the Warehouse Club announced on Friday in an update on its site. Web.
Kroger Pharmacies have a limited supply of the vaccine and now offer it in some locations in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington , West Virginia and Wisconsin, according to a Monday night update. Consumers can check appointment availability here.
Kroger – the country’s largest grocery chain – said in December that its health unit will offer the vaccine at its 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states.
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