RICHMOND, Va., – CFS Health pharmacies are working with the federal government to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to medically underserved communities.
The national drugstore chain will soon be one of 21 pharmacies across the country to receive a portion of a million-dose supply.
CVS has partnered with the Virginia Department of Health to distribute their share of vaccines, according to State Vaccination Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula.
Avula told reporters at Gov. Ralph Northam’s COVID-19 press conference on Friday that Virginians do not need to reapply to make an appointment.
“There are thousands of people who have already been pre-registered through health departments,” Avula said. “We are still working on some of those details, but our hope and intention is that they will integrate with our strategy and not create a different path for registration.”
CFS officials said the first shipment of doses will arrive in Virginia on Feb. 9, with the first round of dosing beginning Feb. 11.
Registration for slots will not begin until Feb. 9, a company official said.
The dose increase was activated through the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program.
Officials from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) told reporters Friday that 6,500 pharmacies will begin the rollout initially.
They said there are a total of 45,000 pharmacies that could participate, but the limited supply of doses remains the biggest obstacle.
The federal program stemmed from an attempt by the Obama-Biden administration to enact a nationwide vaccination plan through pharmacies after the H1N1 virus in 2009.
Pharmacies will be measured against four performance measures to ensure equitable distribution of the vaccines: waste, throughput, socially respectable index and data registration.
Efforts are aimed at reaching the medically underserved communities. CVS and the other participating pharmacies will set up mobile clinics that will travel to selected neighborhoods and places of worship.
Virginia and 11 other states will participate in the launch of the program.
The vaccine will be available in Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke, Stafford and Virginia Beach.
CVS has not yet disclosed which stores will participate.
CVS said Virginia stores will initially receive 28,000 doses, delivered through the The company’s partnership with the federal government.
Doses are administered only to those who register and are available only to those who meet the state’s vaccination criteria. Virginia is currently vaccinating individuals in the Phase 1A and 1B categories.
Go to to register CVS.com, use the CVS Pharmacy app or call (800) 746-7287 if you don’t have access to a computer.
Read more about the program click here.