Demand for coronavirus vaccines exceeds supply in the federal pharmacy program for the United States. CNN notices that appointments fill up quickly.
Many pharmacies told CNN this week that they can receive and administer many more vaccine doses than are arriving so far. Albertsons Companies Inc., a US grocery company headquartered in Boise, Idaho, uses less than 10% of its capacity, according to Albertsons spokesman Andrew Whelan.
“We have the ability to deliver 150,000 doses each day and can accommodate about 90% more inventory within our network,” Whelan told CNN.
Hy-Vee, a Midwestern supermarket chain, told CNN it would be beneficial to give more vaccine doses to the public.
“The limited supply of the vaccine has been our biggest challenge,” said spokesman Christina Gayman. “We would love to vaccinate anyone who asks for it, but the supply is still limited.”
Meijer Inc. administered 66,000 doses since mid-January with an additional 30,000 expected this week, company representative Frank J. Guglielmi told CNN. Most doses have been administered in Michigan, where Meijer is both a state and federal vaccine partner.
“In terms of support, we just need more vaccines,” said Guglielmi.
Walgreens, one of the first pharmacies to begin administering Covid-19 vaccines through a separate partnership with long-term care facilities in December, has delivered more than 3 million vaccines as of Monday, with an allocation of 180,000 doses per week through the federal program, company spokesman Kelli Teno told CNN.
“As we expand into a wider population, the demand for vaccines continues to outstrip supplies,” said Teno. “We share the nation’s enthusiasm to vaccinate people as soon as possible, but patience is needed as vaccine inventory continues to grow over the next few weeks and months and we are able to vaccinate more communities.”