Federal and state officials are taking advantage of regional pharmacies and supermarkets to help speed up the administration of Covid-19 vaccines amid slower-than-expected deployments.
Rite Aid Corp., Kroger Co., Stop & Shop Supermarket LLC and other retailers are requested to intervene and provide inoculations to front-line workers and other vulnerable people. Although the schedule is weeks ahead of schedule, companies say they hope to test and resolve protocol issues before distributing the vaccines to the masses.
“We get calls just out of necessity,” said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger’s healthcare business. Officials from South Carolina and Georgia contacted Kroger this week and the company has been providing shots to health professionals at its stores and sending staff to long-term facilities in Alaska, West Virginia, Texas and Arkansas.
Executives from Kroger and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., two of the largest retailers involved in the vaccination effort, expressed frustration at what they said was a slower deployment than necessary due to statewide delays. and federal.
Kroger is also exploring ways to hold large events at community centers and stadiums that allow him to vaccinate 600 to 800 people at a time, Ms. Kroger said. Lindholz. He added that the country’s largest supermarket could immunize a large number of people if it had more access to inoculations.