The vaccination strategy can be a success as 90% of the country lives within 10 miles of a Walmart.
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Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies across the country They will begin administering the vaccines against Covid-19 this Friday as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
More than 1,000 pharmacies in 22 states will receive doses of the vaccine, though there is a particular “emphasis on locations reaching customers in disadvantaged communities with limited access to health care,” Walmart reported.
The Arkansas-based retailer took into account population density, customer demographics, infection rates, and the availability of local health resources when identifying participating locations.
The company earlier claimed it could deliver up to 13 million doses of vaccines against the coronavirus per month “when offer and compensation allow this.”
Last November, federal health officials struck a deal with the country’s pharmacies, including big box stores like Costco and Walmart, to distribute free vaccines once they are generally available to the public.
Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president of health and wellness at Walmart, said the vaccination strategy is functional as “90% of the country lives within 10 miles of a Walmart
In this regard, the company representative stated that “we are at the heart of many rural and disadvantaged communities, and we are committed to providing access to vaccines when groups are eligible.”
The retailer said it is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the nearly two dozen states “to make progress as quickly as possible to deliver vaccines to eligible populations.”
While the company is working to improve the accessibility and availability of vaccines in conjunction with federal and state governments, offerings and suitability will still “vary based on allocation and state and local guidelines,” Walmart said.
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