SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Starting Monday, CVS Pharmacy will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to staff and residents of California’s long-term care facilities.
On Dec. 18, the first shot was fired by a CVS employee at a Connecticut nursing home.
“We will put 9,000 vaccinators on the road to give them across the country,” Jonathan Roberts, vice president of CVS Health, said at the time.
Ten days later, CVS Pharmacy will begin its 12-week vaccination program at California’s specialized nursing facilities and assisted living centers. The company expects to give the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to about 700,000 people at 15,000 facilities statewide.
“Retail pharmacies are the basis of the approach here, as we are convenient and we are everywhere,” said Dr. Troy Brennan, medical director of CVS Health.
Earlier this month, the federal government awarded Walgreens and CVS contracts to deploy the vaccines due to existing infrastructure and staff. CVS vaccinators will visit each facility at least three times for reinforcements and revisions within the 12-week rotation.
After this initial phase, CVS executives say they will move to the next level of priority recipients, which includes essential workers, older Americans, and those with chronic illnesses.
“We have the best chances of being able to reach the public and the public likes this approach,” Dr. Brennan said.
Both pharmacies already use their websites and applications, where people can make COVID test appointments. In April, they say a similar page will be created for the general public to make their vaccine appointments.
“We have a fairly flexible digital interface that we have developed for testing, but it will be applicable here,” Dr. Brennan said.
Companies hope its wide reach can help mitigate the spread in the summer.
“I hope that in June or July we will be in a situation where there will be enough reduction in global transmission, which we will be able to [return to] a normal kind of life. “