LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WKYT) – The initial distribution plan for the COVID-19 vaccine included those most at risk, health professionals, first responders, and those in long-term care facilities. But over the Christmas holidays, doses were distributed to the public in a Lexington Walgreens.
Monday afternoon we heard from Walgreens about their distribution plans for the COVID-19 vaccine. They said the general public was not eligible to receive those doses, but it appears that they were.
Over the weekend, we reported that doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were available to the general public at the Walgreens on Lane Allen. A Walgreens spokesperson said they will continue to work with long-term care facilities to meet their vaccination needs as part of the CDC’s Pharmacy Partnership.
They also said Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can only be stored at refrigerated temperatures for five days and they don’t want doses to be lost.
They said the remaining doses from planned clinics in Kentucky were reassigned and used in facilities with clinics on Christmas Eve originally scheduled to take place at a later date.
Additional excess doses were then offered to local first responders, Walgreens pharmacy and retail team members, and community residents. That would explain how people could get the COVID vaccine from that pharmacy on weekends.
“If this cannot be provided to a long-term care facility in the future, if this happens again we will provide some additional guidance for those most at risk so that the pharmacy can provide it to. But again, according to Al current policy shouldn’t have done this, I don’t think this was intentional, but it should have been done differently, ”said Governor Andy Beshear.
Earlier today Mayor Linda Gorton and Health Commissioner Dr. Kraig Humbaugh planned to get the COVID-19 vaccine from the Fayette County Health Department. About an hour before that was due to happen, they canceled the event, telling us they wanted to wait for it to be more widely available so that those doses could go to those who really needed it.
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