Sabrina Zuniga / The El Paso Diary
Saturday January 02, 2021 | 6:00
Pharmacies in the CVS chain, as well as Walmart and Albertsons stores, have formally started their Covid-19 vaccination program, including workers in elderly care centers, whose residents have been significantly affected by the pandemic.
CVS Pharmacy expects through the program to vaccinate up to four million residents and staff in more than 40,000 long-term care facilities.
In Texas, CFS began vaccinating residents and workers in 2,000 long-term care facilities. The company plans to vaccinate 275,000 selected nursing home workers and residents here in Texas.
“The result of months of internal planning, this launch shows how the private sector can use its expertise to solve some of our most critical challenges,” said Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health.
“I am grateful for the tremendous efforts of all involved, including our healthcare professionals who will be deployed across the country to provide peace of mind to residents, staff and their loved ones in long-term care facilities,” said Merlo.
CVS Pharmacy teams will make three visits to each long-term care facility to ensure residents and staff receive their initial vaccination and critical booster.
Most residents and staff will be fully vaccinated within three to four weeks of the first visit, depending on the vaccine they receive. CVS Health expects to complete the vaccination effort in the long-term care facility in approximately 12 weeks.
Once CVS gets the green light to launch the Covid-19 vaccine to the general public, the pharmacy will accept appointments online, through the app, and at a designated 800 number.
It will not be a walk-in process. “It will be a highly structured, agreement-based process,” the company said. CVS also continues to test for Covid-19, by appointment only. In El Paso there are 13 CVS pharmacies, not including the facilities within the Target stores.
Available at Albertsons and Walmart
Albertsons and Walmart, for their part, reported that the first coronavirus vaccines have already been administered as they accelerate the preparation and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines across the country.
Walmart has begun administering the newly approved Moderna vaccine to health professionals at select Walmart stores and Sam’s Club in New Mexico, Tom Van Gilder, Walmart’s chief medical officer, said in a blog post Wednesday.
Under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Walmart is prioritizing medical personnel, including pharmacy personnel, for the administration of Covid-19 vaccines in Phase 1 of the award. national vaccine.
To meet the expected high demand for the coronavirus vaccine, Albertsons has launched a campaign to recruit and train more than 800 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across the country.
Albertsons noted that he will work with public health agencies to target specific priority groups and identify the most logical locations for vaccine administration, either at a grocery store pharmacy or a separate community location.
To educate customers, the company has launched a new website for each of its store boards with education, FAQs, updates, eligibility criteria, and scheduling options for coronavirus immunization.
Albertsons also reminds the public to adhere to CDC guidelines for protecting themselves and health care personnel, including regular hand washing, social distancing, and wearing face masks or coverings.