Walmart stores will be offered in Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas Vaccines against COVID-19 starting next week, the seller said Friday.
Vaccines will be given at Walmart pharmacies to groups that state health officials consider need more inoculation. In Texas, for example, only health care workers, residents and nursing home staff, people 65 and older or people 16 and older with chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease can get the vaccine for now. . In New Jersey, vaccine eligibility includes health care workers, nursing home residents, and staff, people 65 and older, lifeguards, and those over the age of 16 with illnesses. chronicles.
Vaccines will also be available at Walmart locations in Chicago and Puerto Rico.
Walmart has already administered vaccines at stores in its home state of Arkansas and New Mexico, a Walmart spokesman told CBS MoneyWatch. During the expansion, the retailer will offer vaccines seven days a week, an executive said in a post on the company’s blog.
“At full capacity, we expect to be able to deliver 10 to 13 million doses a month when supply and allocations allow,” said Walmart’s executive vice president of health and wellness, Dr. Cheryl Pegus.
Walmart has more than 5,000 locations.
“With 150 million people passing through our doors every week, we are in a unique position to reach the people where they already shop,” he said in the message, adding that the company also hopes to organize vaccination events in churches, stadiums and youth centers.
Walmart joins CVS, Kroger, Rite Aid and Walgreens, among retailers that offer vaccines.
Walmart’s passage reaches many states delay in vaccinating residents and President Joe Biden looks at it speed up the launch. The drive to speed things up is inviting major private sector companies to intervene, with Amazon, Costco, Microsoft and Starbucks all offering their help to increase the pace of vaccinations.
Last week, Mr Biden said he plans to overload the distribution of the vaccine by touching Federal Emergency Management Agency staff and training an additional 100,000 workers to manage the shootings. He has pledged to vaccinate 100 million more Americans during the first 100 days of his presidency.
In other measures to intensify the fight against COVID-19, some states have activated theirs local troops of the National Guard to help distribute vaccines.