Retail pharmacies in some states can now distribute the COVID vaccine through a program that the Biden administration revealed last week. Officials hope that implementation on networks such as CVS and Walgreens will soften an uneven distribution process that has left the country agitated with frustration. But local news and Twitter feeds would argue otherwise: Error messages. Website failures. Appointments canceled. The only consistent part of the release so far appears to be continued confusion.
Below, we detail what is happening and, although we cannot guarantee anything, how the experts hope this will improve.
So, what’s going on here?
On Thursday, the White House sent 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to more than 6,500 stores in 21 drugstore chains. Previously, most doses of the vaccine were distributed to hospitals and health departments. The government hopes to deliver vaccines to more than 40,000 stores and prioritize those located in underserved communities.
Which pharmacies are part of this business?
All major players, including Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, Kroger Company, Costco and Walmart, Albertsons and HEB.
How can I know where to go?
It depends on where you live. For example, North Carolina residents should schedule an appointment with their Walgreens, while their neighbors in South Carolina should use CVS. Nevadans have one option (Walmart), while Californians have two (CVS, Rite Aid). Texans, of course, have HEB (and three others).
Why these pharmacies?
Experts and government officials promoted drugstore chains as the answer to the country’s vaccination hassles, citing its annual distribution of the flu vaccine to millions of Americans, as well as the fact that most Americans live within 5 miles. from one of these retailers. Larry Merlo, the CVS CEO, exuded confidence in the Today show in December saying: “We have our logistics plan, we have our personnel plan and we are ready to start”.
Were they ready to go?
Well, not so much. Overwhelming demand, a lack of clear messages and an uncoordinated effort seem to be at the root of the problems of setting up pharmacies earlier this week.
For example, at CVS, people thought they could sign up starting this Tuesday, but due to delays in shipments, the network postponed the date to Thursday, February. But a gap remained: those in Virginia, who pre-registered with the state health department, reported that they got an appointment.
At Walgreens, the site was unable to support the increase in traffic. People trying to sign up for appointments received an error message until late Tuesday afternoon. “Your website has many barriers to entry for a life-saving vaccine. Now stuck in ‘Loading’, ”a person tweeted at Walgreens. Other pharmacy sites have also failed. Walmart fell on Wednesday. And for the millions of Americans without access to the Internet, as well as for the elderly who don’t understand technology, making an appointment online represents an insurmountable barrier.
Problems extended beyond technology. A CVS in Ohio did not meet state guidelines and prevented a newly eligible age group from applying, and one in Rhode Island scheduled appointments for people in stores in neighboring states. Rite-Aid in Pennsylvania didn’t even realize it was administering the vaccine and refused legitimate consultations.
Damn.
Yes. But Bunny Ellerin, director of Columbia Business School’s Health and Pharmaceutical Management Program, is confident that the process will improve. “Whatever the problems today, tomorrow – these are hiccups. These are not systemic problems. “
Some chains seem to be catching up after a difficult start. Walgreen’s website was up at the end of Tuesday. CVS corrected its website problems and confirmed that its sites would have 250,000 doses starting on Thursday. And Kroger, after initial errors in its booking system, said in an email to Slate that it is “launching a new scheduling tool to improve the patient experience and the high volume of consultation requests” It is also working an appointment phone number for those who do not have internet.
But why was it it is bad?
A big factor behind the chaos: pharmacy booking sites.
Erick Katzenstein, a software developer who helped create a third-party website that simplified booking appointments at Walgreens, summed up the problem to a “user experience crisis”.
Pharmacies are using a scheduling setting that was created for prescription collection – not vaccines – to handle their appointments. “These pharmacies did not foresee the drastic inversion of supply and demand that accompanies the COVID vaccines. So what ends up happening is that the user is selecting a location, selecting a date, selecting a time and then, of course, seeing that there are no vacancies available. Katzenstein said that most pharmacy websites depend on this ineffective system. “You will not be able to research every conceivable combination of location, date and time. These slots will not be filled. This will prolong the pandemic, ”he said. “We are facing a bottleneck for vaccine launches as a result of these unusable interfaces.”
He noted that Walgreens has slightly changed its system in the past few days, so you can search for its address first. “There are still many things that need to be improved. But this is a big step in the right direction, ”noted Katzenstein.
So, how do I make an appointment?
First, make sure you are eligible. Each state has different guidelines, and pharmacies are following those orders. And in many states, hospitals and health departments will also remain distributors. Just like Disneyland. And college academies. And the NFL plans to turn all 30 of its stadiums into vaccine megasites (seven already are). Depending on where you live, you may have several options available.
Second, make an appointment at one of your state’s partner pharmacies. Don’t just enter! And don’t be like these people.
What about those “extra doses” that I heard about?
Some people have been lucky to get the vaccine because they are in the right place at the right time, when pharmacies are closing for the day and do not want to throw away any expiring vaccines. According to the Wall Street Journal, “retail pharmacies are taking varying approaches to extra doses, some saying they will prioritize their employees, while others say they will try to find buyers among the public and vaccinate employees only as a last resort, if applicable. ”You may also have seen tweets about a national readiness list called Dr. B, a website that will alert you when last-minute vaccine appointments are opened near you. More than 30,000 people have signed up, but it is unclear which (if any) distribution partners are using.
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