The effort to vaccinate more Americans against the Crown virus it now includes major retail pharmacy chains.
National pharmacy chains CVS Health and Walgreens are among more than 20 large retailers receiving supplies of COVID-19 vaccines this week from the federal government. But getting shot isn’t as easy as going through the pharmacy door. In fact, consumers are discouraged from going to stores, but they go online by making an appointment online or over the phone.
The federal program will be implemented in stages, based on the supply of available vaccines, and shipments will arrive as early as Thursday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The federal government is providing 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the program’s launch,” a CDC spokesman said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. “We can’t confirm how many doses will be provided weekly to pharmacy partners over the next few weeks, but weekly allocations are expected to increase as vaccine supply increases.”
All in all, the federal government is partnering with 21 national pharmacy chains and independent networks to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines across the United States, according to the agency. Participating pharmacies vary by state, and the CDC offers state-by-state accounting of which retailers will receive vaccine doses this week.
In Alabama, for example, Walmart pharmacies will receive federal shipments of the vaccine, while in California doses are expected to receive CVS and Rite Aid. Vaccine shipments will be directed to Hy-Vee and CPESN USA locations in Iowa, and to Albertsons, Costco and Health Mart pharmacies in Washington state. Check your status here.
Walgreens and CVS Health
Walgreens plans to give a limited count of COVID-19 vaccines in 15 states and jurisdictions as part of the federal program that begins Friday, with health workers over the age of 65 and people with pre-existing conditions among potential candidates, according to state guidelines. . Consumers can use Walgreens’ appointment scheduler, even though the system suffered a temporary outage on Tuesday.
The CDC will ship a limited number of doses to Walgreens in Chicago and other parts of 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 assignments in areas of Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.
Initially scheduled to begin Thursday, CVS surpassed the start of its vaccination effort in pharmacies on Friday in a limited number of 11-state locations, and the company’s scheduling system will open Thursday at CVS.com or in the CVS Pharmacy app. People without online access can call (800) 746-4287.
“Because active stores will change regularly based on vaccine supply, CVS Health will not provide a complete list of participating locations,” he said in an update Monday.
The initial release of CVS will involve a total of about 250,000 doses that will be administered to eligible individuals in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Separately, CVS uses state vaccine allocations to provide in-store vaccines to eligible populations in Indiana and Ohio.
“As more supply becomes available, the company will expand to additional states, while increasing the number of stores offering vaccines,” said the chain, which operates about 10,000 pharmacies across the 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 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 vaccines through state allocation 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 your eligibility and schedule an appointment here.)
“Ninety percent of the country lives less than ten miles from a Walmart. We are at the heart of many rural and underserved communities and are committed to providing access to vaccines as groups become eligible,” Dr. Cheryl Pegus, Walmart’s executive vice president. President, Health & Wellness, said in a press release on Tuesday.
Rite Aid is receiving 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 City, a spokesman said in an email to 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 a vaccine here.
Publix, Costco and Kroger
Publix said Tuesday it would open appointments Wednesday to administer the COVID-19 Modern vaccine to eligible people at 593 Publix pharmacies in 41 Florida counties, 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 booking system can be found here.
Costco offers a limited number of COVID-19 vaccines, typically Modern, at some locations in New York City, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, the warehouse club reported Friday in an update on its website.
Kroger pharmacies have a limited supply of vaccine and now offer it in some places in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah. , Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin, according to an update last Monday. Consumers can check the availability of the appointment here.
Kroger, the country’s largest grocery chain, said in December that its health unit would offer the vaccine to its 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states.