Sabrina Zuniga / El Paso Journal
Saturday, January 2, 2021 | 6:00
Pharmacies in the CVS chain, as well as Walmart and Albertsons stores, have officially started their Covid-19 vaccination program, including workers in senior care centers whose residents have been significantly affected by the pandemic.
CVS Pharmacy expects to vaccinate up to four million residents and staff in more than 40,000 long-term care facilities through the program.
In Texas, CVS began vaccinating residents and employees at 2,000 long-term care units. The company plans to vaccinate 275,000 selected employees in nursing homes and residents here in Texas.
“This launch is the culmination of months of internal planning and demonstrates how the private sector can use its expertise to help address some of our most critical challenges,” said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO of CVS Health. .
“I am grateful for the Herculean efforts of all those involved, including our health professionals who will be deployed across the country to provide peace of mind to residents, staff and their loved ones in long-term care facilities,” said Merlo. .
CVS Pharmacy teams will conduct three visits to each long-term care unit to ensure that residents and staff receive the initial vaccination and a critical recall.
Most residents and staff will be fully vaccinated within three to four weeks of the first visit, depending on the vaccine they receive. CVS Health expects to complete its vaccination effort at the long-term care facility in approximately 12 weeks.
Once CVS receives the green light to launch the Covid-19 vaccine to the general public, the pharmacy will accept appointments online, through the application and at a designated number of 800.
It will not be an entry process. “It will be a very structured process based on programming,” according to the company. CVS also continues to test for Covid-19 on schedule only. In El Paso, there are 13 CVS pharmacies, not to mention the facilities in Target stores.
Available at Albertsons and Walmart
For their part, Albertsons and Walmart reported that the first coronavirus vaccines have already been administered, as they accelerate the preparation and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines across the country.
Walmart has begun administering the recently approved Moderna vaccine to health care workers at some Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in New Mexico, Walmart Medical Director Tom Van Gilder said Wednesday.
Under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Walmart prioritizes medical staff, including pharmacy staff, over the administration of Covid-19 vaccines in Phase 1 allocation. national vaccine.
To meet the high demand for the coronavirus vaccine, Albertsons has launched a campaign to recruit and train more than 800 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across the country.
Albertsons said it would work with public health authorities to target specific priority groups and identify the most logical vaccine administration sites, either at a supermarket pharmacy or in a separate community location.
To inform customers, the company has launched a new website for each of its store signs, which includes education, frequently asked questions, updates, eligibility criteria and programming options for coronavirus immunization.
Albertsons also reminds the public to follow CDC rules to protect themselves and their medical staff, including frequent hand washing, social distancing, and wearing face masks or coveralls.