Walgreens pharmacist Jessica Sahni is preparing a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at The New Jewish Home in Manhattans Upper West Side in New York on December 21, 2020.
Bryan R. Smith | AFP | Getty Images
Covid vaccines are still hard to find, but that should change by spring, said Rick Gates, senior vice president of pharmacy and health care at Walgreens.
“I would say that at the end of March, the beginning of April will be the calendar that you will have the widest in all our stores across the country of pharmacies and other places to start vaccinations,” he said at the virtual event CNBC Healthy Returns , Tuesday.
Walgreens is part of a federal pharmacy program that will ship doses directly to pharmacies this week. The pharmacy chain plans to begin vaccinations Friday at some of its stores in 15 states, along with Chicago and New York. However, all of those pharmacies will receive a limited amount, and vaccines will only be available to Americans who qualify as a high priority based on factors such as age or medical condition.
On Tuesday, the Biden administration said it would also start delivering vaccines to community health centers next week – part of its strategy to reach colorful, low-income families who may not have a grocery store. or a nearby pharmacy or may have other barriers to access, such as lack of transportation.
About 43.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across the country since Tuesday morning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 9.8 million people received two doses of the shot. Both vaccines that currently have an emergency authorization for use by the Food and Drug Administration – the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines – require two doses.
Gates said he hopes a vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson could increase supply. The pharmaceutical company applied for emergency authorization from the FDA last week after it released data showing that its vaccine was about 66% effective in protecting against the virus. It is a unique vaccine and can be stored in the refrigerator for months.
“It’s just good news for all of us that more vaccine will be available,” he said.