In Phase one of the distribution plan, 1 million doses will be shipped from February 11 to approximately 6,500 stores, including Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Publix and other pharmacies.
Many pharmacies already vaccinate people against a number of diseases, including flu and shingles. Some experts have suggested that pharmacies nationwide have the capability to administer 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine once the stock is available.
Pharmacies are also “easily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy,” White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said earlier this week.
Here’s a look at how the plan will work.
Phase one will only include some pharmacies in certain states
The pharmacies that will have the vaccine are selected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and determine their ability to reach a number of the populations most at risk for serious Covid-19 diseases, including socially vulnerable ones. communities, ‘according to Zients.
CVS and Walgreens get a big chunk of the first load of vaccinations.
CVS will have about a quarter of the total initial million doses.
Not every CVS or Walgreens pharmacy in these countries has the vaccine in this first phase.
But, as more stock becomes available, the company will expand to additional states while the number of stores offering vaccinations increases, ‘CVS said in a news release.
Walmart offers the vaccine in some of its stores in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas. , Utah, Louisiana and Wyoming.
“Once a store or club receives an award, our online planner will be available to make appointments,” Walmart said in a statement.
CVS said it eventually expects to be able to deliver as many as 20 million to 25 million shots per month in its nearly 10,000 stores.
You must be eligible to receive a vaccine before booking an appointment
The pharmacies in the program will follow the guidelines of the state and only vaccinate people who are eligible in that state.
Most states have followed the CDC’s recommendation and are currently offering vaccinations to frontline workers and the elderly in long-term care facilities.
States like Florida and Georgia also offer vaccinations to people 65 and older.
Those who are eligible can sign up for an appointment.
Appointments can be made online or by phone
Experts are hopeful that getting vaccinated will eliminate the waiting time for customers and make the process similar to getting the flu at your local pharmacy.
There is usually a waiting time of 15 minutes after get the Covid-19 shot, which is in place to make sure people do not have an allergic reaction.
Appointments can be made online or by phone.
Requiring everyone to make an appointment can also help stores make sure that people are socially removed and that there is no rush.
“Vaccines are on appointment, so we know how many people need to be observed,” a Walmart spokesman told CNN in an email.
In places where Walmart will offer vaccination clinics, it will have floor stickers to mark social distance. Shops will also stick out chairs so people are socially distant.
Everyone can get the vaccine for free, even people who have no health insurance or are underinsured.
Challenges include supply and staff
At this stage, the provision of vaccines is the biggest challenge. At first, only 1 million doses will be sent to pharmacies, and it is not clear whether the allocation to pharmacies will be increased.
This will increase over time as more supply becomes available.
CVS has hired about 10,000 pharmacists to administer vaccines and coronavirus tests, said Michael DeAngelis, a spokesman for CVS. It is planned to have about 90,000 employees, including pharmacists, licensed pharmacy technicians and nurses, who administer vaccines.
Walmart did not give a number on how many pharmacists he will have to add for vaccine administration. But it does offer current staff a bonus for referring qualified candidates, a Walmart spokesman told CNN in an email.
The supply constraints and a patch system that are eligible for vaccine by states are not the only challenges facing these chains and their staff.
The pharmacy chains are also preparing for incorrect information online about the vaccine.
Giant Eagle, which has more than 400 stores in five states, has prepared discussion points for its more than 600 pharmacists who will administer the vaccine. The goal is to combat false information about the virus, Victor Vercammen, chief chain pandemic officer, said in an interview last month.
“We also do our best to educate the public … to help them explore what may be on social media, what may be factual, what may be an opinion, on topics such as the safety of vaccination. Covid, “he said.
Pharmacies are ready, says the trade group
Once the vaccine supply is available, pharmacies across the country can vaccinate seven people per hour and 100 million per month, even with current staff, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
The group’s model assumes that 40,000 pharmacies, including traditional drug stores such as CVS and Walgreens, grocery stores such as Kroger and large retailers such as Walmart and Costco, could administer 3.3 million vaccinations per day.
The model does not include independent pharmacies in the United States that will also administer the vaccine and that are part of the federal partnership.
If all of the nearly 17,000 independent vaccine-providing pharmacies had the vaccine, they could administer approximately $ 1.28 million a day, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association.