The company has administered vaccines in recent weeks at some of its locations in New Mexico and Arkansas. Now, Walmart (WMT), the country’s largest retailer, will launch the vaccine to select stores in New Jersey, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, South Carolina and Texas, as well as in Chicago and Puerto Rico, a company spokesman said by email. Friday.
Each state determines which population groups are eligible to receive the vaccine, and the vaccine will be available only to those groups designated at Walmart pharmacies. In Georgia, for example, adults 65 and older are currently eligible, but non-health workers are not.
“We are following what the state tells us in terms of priority groups for which they want our help to vaccinate,” said a Walmart spokesman.
The news, which was first reported by Reuters, comes at a time when President Joe Biden and his government are seeking to speed up the distribution of the vaccine. So far, more than 17 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to the most recent data from the CDC. Biden announced the goal of managing 100 million kicks in his first 100 days in office.
Pharmacies and supermarkets are expected to play an important role in the distribution of vaccines. The federal government has a partnership program with 19 pharmacy chains, retailers and pharmacy associations in the United States, representing more than 40% of pharmacies in the United States.
Walmart (WMT) said in a blog on Friday that he expects to be able to administer 10 to 13 million doses per month, “when supplies and allocations allow,” in his more than 5,000 pharmacies in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Other networks have also targeted. CVS (CVS) he said he eventually hopes to be able to deliver 20 to 25 million injections a month.