The attempt to immunize more Americans against the coronavirus now includes major pharmacy chains.
National drugstore chains CVS Health and Walgreens are among more than 20 major retailers getting COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government this week. But getting an injection isn’t as easy as walking through the door of the pharmacy. Consumers are indeed discouraged from flocking to the stores, but prefer to queue by making an appointment online or over the phone.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal program will be implemented in stages, based on available vaccine supplies, with shipments arriving as early as Thursday.
“The federal government will provide 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the program’s launch,” a CDC spokesman said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. “We cannot confirm how many doses will be distributed to pharmacy partners on a weekly basis in the coming weeks, but it is expected that weekly allocations will eventually increase as vaccine supply increases.”
All told, the federal government is working with 21 national pharmacy chains and independent networks to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines in the US, the agency said. The pharmacies participating vary by state, with the CDC offering state-by-state records of which retailers will receive vaccine doses this week.
In Alabama, for example, Walmart pharmacies will receive federal shipments of the vaccine, while in California, CFS and Rite Aid are expected to receive doses. Shipments of the vaccine go to Hy-Vee and CPESN USA locations in Iowa, and to Albertsons, Costco and Health Mart pharmacies in Washington State. Look up your state here.
Walgreens and CVS Health
Walgreens plans to give a limited number of COVID-19 vaccinations in 15 states and jurisdictions as part of the federal program starting Friday, with health professionals, over-65s, and those with pre-existing conditions among the potential candidates depending of the state guidelines. Consumers can use Walgreens’ appointment scheduler, although the system reportedly had a temporary outage on Tuesday.
The CDC will ship a limited number of doses to Walgreens in Chicago and other parts of Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York and New York City, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. The company is also applying the vaccine to local allotments in parts of Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, it said.
Initially slated to begin on Thursday, CVS is bumping up against the start of its pharmacy vaccination effort until Friday at a limited number of locations in 11 states, with the company’s scheduling system slated to open on CVS.com or the CVS Pharmacy app on Thursdays. Those without online access can call (800) 746-4287.
“Because active stores will change regularly based on vaccine offerings, CVS Health will not provide a complete list of participating locations,” he said in an update on Monday.
The initial CFS rollout includes approximately 250,000 total doses to be given to eligible people in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Separately, CFS uses state allocations of the vaccine to offer in-store vaccinations to eligible populations in Indiana and Ohio.
“As more supply becomes available, the company will expand to other states, while the number of vaccine stores will increase,” said the chain, which operates nearly 10,000 pharmacies nationwide.
Walmart, Sam’s Club and Rite Aid
More than 1,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in 22 states will receive federal vaccine allocations this week, and the shots will be given starting Friday. That includes Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
The retail giant also provides vaccinations using state allocations in 11 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. (You can find out if a Walmart pharmacy near you is administering the COVID-19 vaccine and confirm your eligibility and schedule an appointment here.)
“Ninety percent of the country lives within 10 miles of a Walmart. We are at the heart of many rural and disadvantaged communities, and we are committed to providing access to vaccines as soon as groups become eligible,” said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president of Walmart. president Health & Wellness, said in a press release Tuesday.
Rite Aid receives federal doses at some of its pharmacies in five states and two municipal jurisdictions: California, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the largest city, Philadelphia and New York City, a spokesperson said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch . “These allocations will be in addition to existing and ongoing national and local allocations,” he added.
The Rite Aid chain, which operates 2,450 stores in 18 states, has limited information here on how to register for a vaccination.
Publix, Costco and Kroger
Publix said Tuesday it would open appointments Wednesday to administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to eligible individuals at 593 Publix pharmacies in 41 Florida counties, using doses provided by the state and federal government. . Publix pharmacies have also given the vaccine to people in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. The company’s online reservation system can be found here.
Costco offers a limited number of COVID-19 vaccines, typically Moderna, in some locations in New York City, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, the warehouse club said in an update on its website Friday.
Kroger pharmacies have a limited supply of the vaccine and now offer it in some locations in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin, according to an update late Monday. Consumers can check the availability of appointments here.
Kroger – the country’s largest grocery chain – said in December that its health department would offer the vaccine in its 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states.