More than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be available to about 6,500 US pharmacies starting Feb. 11, the White House said Tuesday.
Why does it matter: Local, national and supermarket pharmacies have an existing customer base, user portals and other established resources regarding mass influenza and shingles immunization protocols. The federal government hopes this will expand access and speed up the vaccination process.
Yes but: Vaccine demand in these new channels is expected to far exceed supply, COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Game status: The million doses are in addition to the 10.5 million doses that are scheduled to go to states and other jurisdictions.
- Finally, the federal government wants to reach 40,000 pharmacies to provide vaccinations.
The whole picture: The U.S. government began on January 12 to encourage states to open vaccination eligibility for people 65 and older, and for those 16 and older with certain medical conditions – or a third of the US population.
What I say: “Millions of Americans turn to local pharmacies every day for drugs, flu vaccines and more. And pharmacies are easily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living less than five miles from a pharmacy, “Zients said.
- “People should first make sure they meet their state’s eligibility requirements for vaccinations and then check availability on their local pharmacy website. Equity is at the heart of how disease control centers work with states to select pharmacy partners for this first phase “. he added.