More than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to approximately 6,500 pharmacies in the US as of Feb. 11, the White House said Tuesday.
Why it matters: Local, national, and supermarket pharmacies have an existing customer base, user portals, and other established resources when it comes to immunization protocols for massive flu and shingles. The federal government hopes this will increase access and speed up the vaccination process.
Yes but: The demand for vaccine in these new channels is expected to far exceed the supply, COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said in a news conference on Tuesday.
The state of affairs: The million doses are in addition to the 10.5 million doses scheduled to go to states and other jurisdictions.
- Ultimately, the federal government wants to reach 40,000 pharmacies to provide vaccinations.
The big picture: The U.S. government began encouraging states to qualify for vaccination for people age 65 and older, and people 16 and older with certain medical conditions – or one-third of the U.S. population – on Jan.
What they say: “Millions of Americans turn to their local pharmacy every day for their medicines, flu shots, and so much more. And pharmacies are easily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy, ”Zients said.
- “People should first ensure they meet their state’s eligibility requirements for vaccinations and then check availability on the website of their local pharmacy. Equality is at the heart of how the centers for disease control work with them. states to select pharmacy partners for this first phase, ”he added.