RICHMOND, Virginia, – CVS Health Pharmacies is working with the federal government to get the COVID-19 vaccine to medically underserved communities.
The national chain of pharmacies will soon be one of 21 retail pharmacies across the country that will receive part of a one-million-dollar deposit.
CVS has worked with the Virginia Department of Health to distribute their share of vaccines, according to state vaccination coordinator Dr. Danny Avula.
Avula told reporters during Governor Ralph Northam’s COVID-19 press conference on Friday that the Virginians will not be required to re-register in order to make an appointment.
“There are thousands of people who are already pre-registered through the health departments,” Avula said. “We are still working through some of these details, but our hope and intention is for them to integrate with our strategy and not create another way of recording.”
CVS officials said the first shipment of doses will arrive in Virginia on Feb. 9, the first round of administration starting Feb. 11.
Registration for slots will not begin until Feb. 9, a company official said.
Dose escalation was activated through the federal pharmacy partnership program.
Officials from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) told reporters on Friday that 6,500 pharmacies will initially start launching.
They said there are a total of 45,000 pharmacies that could participate, but the limited supply of doses remains the biggest obstacle.
The federal program resulted from an effort by the Obama administration to adopt a national plan to vaccinate H1N1 in pharmacies in 2009.
Pharmacies will be measured against four performance indicators to ensure a fair distribution of vaccines: waste, transaction, socially venerable index and data recording.
Efforts are focused on reaching medically underserved communities. CVS and the other participating pharmacies will create mobile clinics that will travel to select neighborhoods and places of worship.
Virginia and 11 other states will participate in the launch of the program.
The vaccine will be available in Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, Roanoke, Stafford and Virginia Beach.
CVS has not yet announced which stores will participate.
CVS said stores in Virginia will initially receive 28,000 doses, which are provided through the company’s partnership with the federal government.
Doses will be administered only to those who register and are available only to those who meet the state’s immunization criteria. Virginia currently vaccinates people in phase 1A and 1B.
To register, visit CVS.com, use the CVS Pharmacy application or call (800) 746-7287 if you do not have access to a computer.
Learn more about the program up to by clicking here.