“Millions of Americans turn to their local pharmacies daily for their medicines, flu shots and more. And pharmacies are easily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy,” said the coordinator of the White House Covid-19 response said. Jeff Zients said in a briefing.
The program, which begins Feb. 11, starts at about 6,500 stores that will receive a total of 1 million doses before finally expanding, Zients said.
The administration has also announced that it will increase the weekly allocation of vaccines going to states, tribes and territories by an additional 5%, bringing the weekly total of vaccines per week to a minimum of 10.5 million.
And Zients said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will compensate states for the eligible services they have rendered since the start of the January 2020 pandemic. The compensation will include personal protective equipment and the mobilization of the National Guard, Zients said, estimating the price. between $ 3-5 billion.
In his briefing, Zients tried to manage the expectations for the implementation of pharmacies. He said both vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna are increasing production to give the extra doses.
“In the early stages, many pharmacies across the country will not have a vaccine, or it may be very limited,” he said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with states to select pharmacy websites that will take into account “their ability to reach some of the most at-risk populations of Covid-19, including socially vulnerable communities,” “said Zients. .
Administration officials on Tuesday briefed representatives of the major pharmacy chains before announcing the plan publicly.
The White House has listed 21 national pharmacy chains that will participate in the initial phase of the program, including Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid.
The plan to expand the availability of vaccines in pharmacies has been going on for a long time and was also an important component in the former Trump administration’s distribution plan. In some states, such as Maryland, these plans are underway, and pharmacies have already begun distributing vaccines.
Public health experts have said it is critical to expand sites that Americans can visit to be vaccinated, both to streamline the distribution efforts, but also to ensure that the vaccine is available to a wider section of the public. public as there are inequalities in vaccines.
However, the addition of new vaccination sites will only alleviate part of the problem. The vaccine supply remains extremely limited and the additional places are likely to come as states still want for more doses.
Just last month, the new U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dr. Rochelle Walensky, told NBC News that the early expansion to pharmacies does not mean every pharmacy everywhere.
“I do not think at the end of February we are going to vaccinate in every pharmacy in this country,” Walensky said.
CNN’s Jason Hoffman contributed to this report.