Federal and state officials are reviewing regional pharmacies and supermarkets to help speed up the administration of Covid-19 vaccines amid slower-than-planned launches.
Rite Aid Corp., Kroger Co., Stop & Shop Supermarket LLC and other retailers are asked to intervene and provide vaccinations to frontline workers and other vulnerable people. While the schedule is a few weeks earlier than planned, companies say they hope to test and troubleshoot protocols before distributing vaccines to the masses.
“We only get calls out of necessity,” said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger’s health care business. Officials in South Carolina and Georgia contacted Kroger this week, and the company provided photos of health professionals in its stores and sent staff to long-term units in Alaska, West Virginia, Texas and Arkansas.
Executives Kroger and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., two of the largest retailers involved in the vaccination effort, have expressed frustration with what they say is a slower-than-necessary launch due to state-wide upheavals, and federal.
Kroger is also exploring ways to organize large events in community centers and stadiums that allow him to vaccinate between 600 and 800 people at a time, Ms Lindholz said. She added that the largest grocer in the country could immunize a huge number of people if they had more access to vaccinations.