A senior Oregon official told lawmakers Wednesday that the number of pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccinations will increase dramatically, with Bi-Mart stores in the state likely to launch coronavirus vaccinations by Thursday and Walmart stores at Saturday or Sunday.
Patrick Allen, director of health care in Oregon, said 15,400 of the 34,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine the state has already received are on their way to pharmacies run by the two chains.
“Bi-Mart should be able to administer these doses soon, possibly as early as tomorrow,” Allen told a state House COVID-19 subcommittee. “Walmart needed a little longer to be set up, and that should be this coming weekend.”
The Oregonian / OregonLive issued both companies to confirm, but could not immediately reach representatives of the company.
Allen said pharmacies would be crucial to delivering vaccines to Oregonians.
“This is a channel that has been used about 12,000 doses a week so far,” Allen said. “The number is going to skyrocket, as is the number of pharmacies involved.”
Allen said a little over 130 pharmacies across the state are now delivering shots into the arms of Oregonians. He said there are nearly 600 pharmacies across the country, on one corner, and their proximity within communities across the state would be a huge advantage.
Pharmacies in Oregon that currently administer doses are Albertsons, Safeway, Costco, Walgreens and Health Mart. The website vaccinefinder.org lists participating pharmacies.
Allen did not list the numbers Bi-Marts and Walmarts that Oregonians are going to vaccinate. There are about 60 Bi-Mart stores and 45 Walmart stores in Oregon, though the websites of the businesses have not made clear whether each store has a pharmacy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted permission for the use of the vaccine to Johnson & Johnson last Saturday. A trial estimated the vaccine’s effectiveness at 72% in the United States with its single-dose regimen. Vaccinations by Pfizer and Moderna are estimated to be approximately 95% effective after two doses.
However, Allen stressed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could not be compared ‘head to head’ with Pfizer and Moderna, as their trials were held at a time when the South African variant did not play a role in the United States. A trial later on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in South Africa showed that it was effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths. The vaccine had an efficacy of 64% in South Africa.
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– Aimee Green; [email protected]; @o_aimee