More than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to about 6,500 pharmacies in the United States as of February 11, the White House reported on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Local, national pharmacies and supermarkets have an existing customer base, user portals and other established resources when it comes to flu and herpes zoster immunization protocols. The federal government hopes that this will expand access and streamline the vaccination process.
Yes but: Vaccine demand on these new channels is expected to far outweigh the supply, COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The current situation: The millions of doses add up to the 10.5 million doses that are scheduled to go to states and other jurisdictions.
- Eventually, the federal government wants to reach 40,000 pharmacies to supply vaccines.
The big picture: The US government on January 12 began to encourage states to open eligibility for vaccination to people 65 and older and people 16 and older with certain medical conditions – or a third of the US population.
What are they saying: “Millions of Americans turn to local pharmacies every day for drugs, flu shots and more. And pharmacies are easily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living less than five miles from a pharmacy, “said Zients.
- “People should first make sure that they meet their state’s eligibility requirements for vaccines and then check availability on the local pharmacy website. Equity is the foundation of how disease control centers are working with states to select partner pharmacies for this first phase, “he added.