In the first phase of the distribution plan, 1 million doses will be sent to about 6,500 stores, including Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Publix pharmacies and others, starting on February 11th.
Many pharmacies already vaccinate people against various illnesses, including flu and shingles. Some experts have suggested that pharmacies across the country will be able to deliver 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine once the supply is available.
Pharmacies are also “readily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living within a five-mile radius of a pharmacy,” said Jeff Zients, response coordinator for the Covid-19 White House, earlier this week.
See how the plan will work.
The first phase will include only a few pharmacies in certain states
The pharmacies that will receive the vaccine are selected by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by the states, taking into account “their ability to reach some of the populations most at risk of serious illness due to Covid-19, including socially vulnerable communities” , according to Zients.
CVS and Walgreens will receive a large share of the first vaccine shipment.
The CVS will have about a quarter of the total millions of initial doses.
Not all CVS or Walgreens pharmacies in these states will have the vaccine at this early stage.
However, “as more supply becomes available, the company will expand to other states, increasing the number of stores offering vaccines,” said CVS in a press release.
Walmart will offer the vaccine in some of its stores in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas , Utah, Louisiana and Wyoming.
“As soon as a store or club receives the allocation, our online programmer will be available to make appointments,” Walmart said in a statement.
CVS said it expects to be able to administer 20 to 25 million doses per month in its nearly 10,000 stores.
You must be eligible to receive a vaccine before making an appointment
The program’s pharmacies will follow state guidelines and will only vaccinate eligible people in that state.
Most states have followed the CDC’s recommendation and are now offering vaccines to frontline workers and seniors in long-term care facilities now.
States like Florida and Georgia are also offering vaccines to people 65 and older.
Those who are eligible will be able to register for a consultation.
Appointments can be made online or over the phone
Experts are hopeful that vaccination appointments will eliminate waiting times for customers and make the process similar to influenza vaccination at a local pharmacy.
Typically, there is a waiting time of 15 minutes after get the Covid-19 vaccine, which exists to make sure people don’t have an allergic reaction.
Appointments can be made online or over the phone.
Requiring everyone to make an appointment will also help stores ensure that people are socially distant and that there is no crowding.
“Vaccines are scheduled, so we know how many people will need to be observed,” a Walmart spokesman told CNN via email.
In places where Walmart will host vaccination clinics, there will be floor decals to mark social distance. The stores will also have chairs for people to be socially distant.
Everyone will be able to get the vaccine for free, even people who do not have health insurance or have insufficient insurance.
Challenges include supply and personnel
The supply of vaccines at this stage is the main challenge. In the beginning, only 1 million doses will be sent to drugstores, and it is not clear whether or when the allocation to drugstores will be increased.
This will increase over time, as more supplies become available.
CVS has hired some 10,000 pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines and coronavirus tests, said Michael DeAngelis, a CVS spokesman. It plans to have some 90,000 employees, including pharmacists, licensed pharmacy technicians and nurses, administering vaccines.
Walmart has not put a number of how many pharmacy employees will need to be added to administer the vaccine. But it is offering current employees a bonus for nominating qualified candidates, a Walmart spokesman told CNN via email.
Supply restrictions and a patch system of vaccine eligibility by states are not the only challenges faced by these networks and their employees.
Pharmacy chains are also preparing for online misinformation about the vaccine.
Giant Eagle, which has more than 400 stores in five states, has prepared talking points for its more than 600 pharmacists who will administer the vaccine. The aim is to help combat false information about the virus, Victor Vercammen, head of the pandemic network, said in an interview last month.
“We are also doing our best to educate the public … to help them filter what can be on social media, what can be factual, what can be an opinion, around topics like vaccine safety Covid, “he said.
Pharmacies are ready, says commercial group
Once the vaccine supply is available, pharmacies across the country will be able to vaccinate seven people an hour and 100 million a month, even with current staff, according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
The group’s model assumes that 40,000 pharmacy chains, including traditional drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, supermarkets like Kroger and large retailers like Walmart and Costco, can administer 3.3 million vaccines per day.
The model does not include independent pharmacies in the United States that will also administer the vaccine and are part of the federal partnership.