The bumpy rollout of coronavirus vaccines are getting 1 million doses injected into the arm as pharmacies across the country join the effort.
The federal government this week began shipping supplies of COVID-19 vaccines to 21 national drugstore chains and to independent pharmacies to speed distribution. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the program will be implemented in stages, based on available vaccine supplies. Pharmacies and retailers are also working with states to accelerate immunization efforts.
The national drugstore chains CVS Health and Walgreens, among others, are getting supplies of COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government. But getting an injection isn’t as easy as walking through the door of the pharmacy. Consumers are discouraged from going to the stores in droves, but prefer to queue by making an appointment online or by telephone.
“The federal government will provide 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the program’s launch,” a CDC spokesperson 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.”
Hillcrest Pharmacy in Vernon, Texas
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.
For example, in Alabama, Walmart pharmacies 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.
Hillcrest Pharmacy in Vernon, Texas, received its first federal shipment of the Moderna vaccine at 3 p.m. Thursday and vaccinated patients at 3:30 p.m., according to AmerisourceBergen, a drug wholesaler and cooperative of 4,500 independent pharmacies.
The rural town of 11,000 has a significantly older population, and the pharmacy has many Medicare patients. Most pharmacy patients are unable to travel to major vaccination clinics, an Amerisource spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch. Hilcrest’s owners, Adam and Traci Bayer, reported between 500 and 1,000 patients on their waiting list, he added.
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 beginning Feb. 12, with health professionals, over-65s and those with pre-existing conditions among the potential candidates depending on the state. guidelines. Consumers can use Walgreens’ appointment scheduler, although the system has reportedly experienced a temporary outage.
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 scheduled to begin on Feb. 11, CVS is pushing up the start of its pharmacy vaccination efforts until the next day at a limited number of locations in 11 states, with the company booking appointments through its scheduling system on CVS.com or the CVS pharmacy app. 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 full list of participating locations,” he said in an update early this week.
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, CVS 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 assignments, and the shots are expected to be given starting Feb. 12. 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 state-allocated vaccinations 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 here 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, Walmart executive vice president, said Health & Wellness president 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 it made arrangements starting February 10 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.
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 from the company. 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.
Albertsons, Hy-Vee and Meijer
Albertsons Companies, which operates more than 1,700 pharmacies in its grocery stores in 34 states, also receives direct federal allocations of vaccines. Consumers can check availability at the numerous individual grocery and drugstore banners: ACME, Albertsons, Carrs, Haggen, Jewel-Osco, Pavilion, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, United Supermarkets and Vons.
Lucky Pharmacy, owned by Albertsons in Salt Lake City, Utah, bills the COVID-19 vaccine as “available soon.”
Hy-Vee has 275 stores in eight Midwestern states and offers federal doses of the vaccine at some of its pharmacies in Iowa and South Dakota. Appointments can be made here.
Meijer plans to administer up to 25,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from the week of Feb. 8 at clinics across its stores across Michigan. State residents who are 65 and older can pre-register through the company’s website. The retailer operates 256 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan.
HEB, Ahold Delhaize and Southeastern Grocers
HEB, which operates more than 400 stores in Texas and Mexico, offers the vaccine at some pharmacies in Texas. Look here for the availability of new appointments.
Ahold Delhaize companies also offer the vaccine. That includes Stop & Shop, which operates 250 pharmacies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Hannaford is now scheduling appointments in two of the five states in which it operates, New York and Massachusetts, and the Giant Food brand provides planning links to customers in Washington, DC, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Visit https://giantfood.com/pages/covid-info for details.
Southeastern Grocers began giving 8,100 free Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses to eligible customers at a number of Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket locations across Florida starting February 11.
Acme Fresh Market, Big Y and Wegmans
Some of Topco Associates’ many brands also receive federal shipments of vaccines. Acme Fresh Market offers vaccination appointments at its Ohio pharmacies, even though the check was finally booked. Check here for updates.
Big Y offers the vaccine at pharmacies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Wegmans offers shots at some pharmacies in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania.
Giant Eagle, Food City, and Price Chopper
Topco brand Giant Eagle is in line to offer the vaccine at pharmacies in Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, while Brookshire Grocery has started an online waiting list in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Food City is ready to offer the vaccine, but currently only has it at pharmacies in Virginia. Price Chopper / Market 32 offers the vaccine at some pharmacies in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania – click here to see if you qualify.
Health Mart – a chain of 5,000 independent pharmacies in the US – is also due to federal vaccine shipments. The Beaver Health Mart in Pennsylvania has paused online registration and said it would take requests again once the supply is replenished. Missouri residents can register at the Parkland Health Mart Pharmacy site here.
Health Mart, CPESN USA and Good Neighbor
Wayne Drug, a Health Mart pharmacy in Oswego, New York, used social media to keep customers informed.
Community Pharmacy Enhanced Service Network, or CPESN USA, participates in the federal program and offers vaccines at locations in Florida and Iowa.
Amerisource said it placed orders with the CDC on behalf of its Good Neighbor Pharmacy and Elevate Provider Network – a cooperative of 4,500 independent pharmacies – in Kentucky, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Guam.
Initially, Amerisource will assign more than 10,000 doses per week to more than 100 independent community pharmacies.
In San Joaquin County, California, the Save Mart Company’s Lucky Pharmacy offers appointments here.