Walgreens pharmacist Jessica Sahni is preparing a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the long-term care facility The New Jewish Home in Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New York on December 21, 2020.
Bryan R. Smith | AFP | Getty Images
Covid vaccines are still difficult to obtain, but that will have to change by spring, says Rick Gates, senior vice president of pharmacy and healthcare at Walgreens.
“I would say end of March, early April it will be the timeline that you will have it wider in all our stores across the country pharmacies and other places to start vaccinations,” he said Tuesday on CNBC’s virtual event Healthy Returns . .
Walgreens is part of a federal pharmacy program that is sending doses directly to pharmacies this week. The pharmacy chain plans to begin vaccinations at some of its stores in 15 states on Friday, along with Chicago and New York. However, all pharmacies have a limited amount and vaccines are only available to Americans who qualify as a high priority based on factors such as their age or medical conditions.
Biden’s government said on Tuesday that it would also start sending vaccinations to community health centers next week – part of its strategy to reach low-income communities of color and families who may not have a grocery store or drugstore in the area. , or other obstacles have access, such as lack of transportation.
About 43.2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered across the country on Tuesday morning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 9.8 million people received two doses of the shot. Both vaccines currently licensed for use by the Food and Drug Administration (Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern Vaccines) require two doses.
Gates said he was hopeful a vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson could increase supply. The pharmaceutical company applied to the FDA for emergency approval last week, after information was released that the vaccine was approximately 66% effective in protecting the virus. It is a disposable vaccine and can be stored in the fridge for months.
“It’s just good news for all of us that there will be more vaccine available,” he said.