The bumpy US deployment of coronavirus vaccines get a big chance in the arm as pharmacies across the country participate in the effort.
The White House said Tuesday that the amount of doses delivered to retail pharmacies across the U.S. is doubling, increasing shipments from the 1 million doses sent to 6,500 pharmacies last week. The Biden administration will in future send 2 million doses per week to outlets and eventually include 40,000 stores nationwide.
“This program will expand access to neighborhoods across the country so people can call and make an appointment and get their chance comfortably and quickly,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. “This is a critical, critical part of our plan.”
The federal government last week began sending COVID-19 vaccines to 21 national pharmacy chains and independent pharmacies to accelerate distribution. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the program will be implemented in phases based on available vaccine supplies. Pharmacies and retailers are also working with states to speed up the immunization effort.
The national pharmacy chains CVS Health and Walgreens are among those receiving COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government. But getting a chance is not as easy as walking through the pharmacy’s door. Consumers are rather discouraged from flocking to the stores, but should rather be in line by making an appointment online or by phone.
“The federal government is providing 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the launch of the program,” a CDC spokesman said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. “We are not able to confirm how many doses will be provided to pharmacy partners weekly over the coming weeks, but it is expected that weekly allocations will eventually increase as vaccine supply increases.”
Hillcrest Pharmacy in Vernon, Texas
According to the agency, the federal government is working with 21 national pharmacy chains and independent networks to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines across the US. The participating pharmacies vary by state, and the CDC is offering state-by-state accounting from which retailers will receive vaccine doses this week.
In Alabama, for example, Walmart pharmacies will receive federal shipments of the vaccine, while CVS and Rite Aid are expected to receive doses in California. Shipments of the vaccine go to Hy-Vee and CPESN USA in Iowa, and to Albertsons, Costco and Health Mart pharmacies in Washington state. Look at your condition here.
According to AmerisourceBergen, a medicine wholesale business and cooperative of 4,500 pharmacies that are independently owned, the first federal consignment of Moderna vaccine arrived at Hillcrest Pharmacy in Vernon, Texas, on February 11 at 3 p.m.
The rural town of 11,000 has a substantial elderly population, and the pharmacy has many Medicare patients. A spokesman for Amerisource told CBS MoneyWatch most patients in the pharmacy could not travel to major vaccination clinics. Hilcrest owners Adam and Traci Bayer reported between 500 and 1,000 patients on their waiting list, he added.
Walgreens and CVS Health
Walgreens plans to provide a limited number of COVID-19 vaccinations in 15 states and jurisdictions from Feb. 12 as part of the Feb. 12 federal program, with health workers, 65 and older, and people with pre-existing conditions among the potential candidates, depending on the state guidelines. Consumers can use Walgreens’ appointment planner, although the system has reportedly experienced a temporary outage.
The CDC sends a limited number of doses to Walgreens in Chicago and other parts of Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York and New York, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Vermont, Wisconsin and West -Virginia. Walgreens is also administering the vaccine with local assignments in parts of Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.
Initially scheduled to launch on February 11, CVS slammed the start of the vaccination effort at the pharmacy the next day in a limited number of locations in 11 states, with the company booking through its scheduling system on CVS.com or the CVS Pharmacy. app. Those who do not have online access can call (800) 746-4287.
“Because active stores will change frequently based on vaccine supply, CVS Health will not provide a complete list of participating locations,” it said earlier in the week.
CVS’s initial implementation involves approximately 250,000 total doses to be given to qualifying individuals in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Separately, CVS uses state allocations of the vaccine to offer in-store vaccinations for eligible populations in Indiana and Ohio.
“As more supply becomes available, the company will expand to other countries and increase the number of stores offering vaccinations,” said the chain, which operates nearly 10,000 pharmacies nationwide.
Walmart, Sam’s Club and Rite Aid
More than 1,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in 22 countries are receiving federal vaccines, with the shots being given from February 12th. These include Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana. , Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
The retail giant also gives vaccinations through state allocation in 11 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. (You can see if a Walmart pharmacy in your area administers the COVID-19 vaccine here, and confirm that you are eligible and plan an appointment for this.)
“Ninety percent of the country lives within ten miles of a Walmart. We are the heart of many rural and underserved communities, and we are committed to providing access to vaccines as groups qualify,” said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive director of Walmart. President, Health and Wellness, said in a news release on Tuesday.
Rite Aid receives federal doses at some of the pharmacies in five states and two municipal jurisdictions: California, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the largest city, Philadelphia, and New York, a spokesman said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch said. . “These grants will complement the existing and ongoing grants from the state and the country,” he added.
The Rite Aid chain, which operates 2,450 stores in 18 states, has limited registration information here for a vaccination.
Publix, Costco and Kroger
Publix said that from February 10, appointments will be made to administer the Modern COVID-19 vaccine to eligible individuals at 593 Publix pharmacies in 41 Florida counties, using doses administered by the state and federal government. provided. The demand remains intense, with local newspapers in Florida reporting that the vaccination of vaccines for February 15 was fully booked within an hour after online discussions began at 7 a.m. on the Presidential Day holiday.
Publix pharmacies also gave the vaccine to people in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. The company’s online booking system can be found here.
Costco offers a limited number of COVID-19 vaccines, mostly Moderna, in some locations in New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, the warehouse club said in an update to its website.
Kroger Pharmacies has a limited amount of vaccine and now offers it in some locations in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington . , West Virginia and Wisconsin, according to an update from the company. Consumers can check the availability of appointments here.
Kroger – the country’s largest grocery chain – said in December its health unit would offer the vaccine at its 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 countries.
Albertsons, Hy-Vee and Meijer
Albertsons Companies, which operates more than 1,700 pharmacies in its grocery stores in 34 states, also receives direct federal allocations of vaccines. Consumers can view the availability at the food and drug dealer at numerous individual banners: ACME, Albertsons, Carrs, Haggen, Jewel-Osco, Pavilion, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, United Supermarkets and Vons.
At the Albertsons-owned Lucky Pharmacy Pharmacy in Salt Lake City, Utah, the COVID-19 vaccine is described as “coming soon.”
He-Vee has 275 stores in eight Midwestern states and offers federal doses of the vaccine at some of its pharmacies in Iowa and South Dakota. Appointments can be made here.
Meijer plans to administer up to 25,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine at clinics in his Michigan stores from the week of Feb. 8. Residents of the state who are 65 years and older can pre-register via the company’s website. The retailer operates 256 supermarkets and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan.
HEB, Ahold Delhaize and Southeast Grocers
HEB, which operates more than 400 stores in Texas and Mexico, offers the vaccine at some pharmacies in Texas. Check here for the availability of new appointments.
Ahold Delhaize Enterprises also offers the vaccine. These include Stop & Shop, which operates 250 pharmacies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Hannaford is now planning appointments in two of the five states in which it operates, New York and Massachusetts, and its Giant Food brand offers scheduling links to customers in Washington, DC, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Go to https://giantfood.com/pages/covid-info for more information.
Southeastern grocery stores began offering 8,100 free Modern COVID-19 vaccine doses to eligible customers at some stores in Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más and Harveys throughout Florida as of February 11th.
Acme Fresh Market, Big Y and Wegmans
Some of Topco Associates’ multiple brands also receive federal vaccines. Acme Fresh Market offers vaccinations at its pharmacies in Ohio, although the check was eventually fully booked. Check here for updates.
Big Y offers the vaccine at pharmacies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Wegmans offers shots at some pharmacies in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania.
Giant Eagle, Food City and Price Chopper
Topco brand Giant Eagle is offering the vaccine at pharmacies in Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Western Virginia, while Brookshire Grocery has launched an online waiting list in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Food City is ready to offer the vaccine, but currently only has it available at pharmacies in Virginia. Price Chopper / Market 32 offers the vaccine at some pharmacies in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania – click here to see if you are eligible.
Health Mart – a chain of 5,000 independent pharmacies across the US – also owes federal vaccines. Beaver Health Mart, Pennsylvania, has suspended its online registration and said it will resume demand once the stock is replenished. Residents of Missouri can try to register here on the Parkland Health Mart Pharmacy website.
Health Mart, CPESN USA and a good neighbor
Wayne Drug, a Health Mart pharmacy in Oswego, New York, used social media to keep customers informed.
Community Pharmacy Enhanced Service Network, or CPESN USA, participates in the federal program and provides vaccines at locations in Florida and Iowa.
Amerisource said it was placing orders with the CDC on behalf of its Good Neighbor Pharmacy and Elevate Provider Network – a cooperative of 4,500 independently owned pharmacies – in Kentucky, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Guam.
Initially, Amerisource dispenses more than 10,000 doses per week to more than 100 independent pharmacies in the community.
In San Joaquin County, California, Save Mart’s Lucky Mart Pharmacy offers appointments here.