The main headlines of Fox Business Flash are here. Check out what is clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Walgreens and CVS reached a milestone on Monday, completing the first round of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in partner wards across the country.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS
Both companies set their goal of finishing the first round of doses by January 25, after being used by the United States Department of Health and Services for Third Parties to administer vaccines to high-priority populations.
Actions in this article
Since receiving their first quotas in late December, CVS and Walgreens have remained on track to meet their goal and have informed the public of their progress.
“Our dedicated healthcare professionals are reaching out to residents and long-term employees as quickly as possible based on the activation dates selected by the states, while navigating the challenges of a complex implementation,” said Karen Lynch, executive vice president of CVS Health.
CVS said it has already started administering the second doses, which are due to be completed within a month.
Meanwhile, Walgreens announced last week that it had administered more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccines and was also on track to complete the first doses in the wards by 25 January.
Both companies have reached an agreement with federal health officials to distribute free vaccines to the general public as soon as they become available. The goal is to make the vaccination COVID-19 similar to vaccination against influenza.
Walgreens plans to expand access to the general population in more than 9,000 stores “as soon as the COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available in 2021,” the company said.
COVID-19 VACCINATIONS IN THE USA BELOW TO START SECOND
Likewise, CVS hopes to offer the vaccine to CVS Pharmacy locations across the country “subject to product availability and population prioritization,” said the company.
For the time being, CVS has outlined populations in the first phase of distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. These groups include:
- Phase 1a: Health professionals, residents and employees of long-term care facilities.
- Phase 1b: Essential frontline workers and adults aged 75 and over.
- Phase 1c: Adults 65 to 74 years old, individuals 16 to 64 years old with high-risk medical conditions and other essential workers.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS
“Although the schedule for each of these phases is not yet known, vaccines may be available to the general population in April or May,” explains the CVS website.
CVS estimates that it will be able to manage between 20 million to 25 million shots a month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.