BENTONVILLE, Ark .– (BUSINESS WIRE) – Walmart vice president of health and wellness operations, Amanda Jenkins, released the following article today:
This morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared information about the US Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Through this partnership, Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies are now able to accept and administer federal funds for the COVID-19 vaccine. Walmart and Sam’s Club are working with the federal government to help increase access to COVID-19 vaccines at select pharmacies in 22 states as soon as doses of the vaccine become available, starting at the end of next week.
Once our locations receive the vaccines, qualified customers can book a convenient vaccine appointment directly through a scheduling tool on the Walmart and Sam’s Club website, while distribution lasts. In addition to the appointments, the scheduler will provide a digital reminder when it is time to return for the second dose of the vaccine so that the vaccine is fully effective.
What this means?
Our pharmacies will receive limited funds from the federal government, but not before next week. As soon as a store or club receives the allocation, our online programmer will be available to make appointments at www.walmart.com/COVIDvaccine and www.samsclub.com/covid. Eligibility will be determined by the states for who can receive the vaccine and we will follow your guidelines.
How many doses will Walmart receive?
Walmart is receiving funding from the federal government, but the offer is still limited. We will schedule appointments based on how many doses we receive. Consultations will increase as additional doses become available.
In which 22 states will Walmart be a federal pharmaceutical partner?
Once we receive funding from the federal government, we will be administering the vaccine 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. In some of these states, we already have agreements with state governments and we are already administering vaccines from the state budget. In partnership with states and jurisdictions, we are currently vaccinating in Arkansas, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chicago, New Jersey, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, District of Columbia, Tennessee, Delaware, Wyoming, Virginia, Iowa and Pennsylvania.
Walmart is proud to be selected by the CDC and state governments based on a number of factors, including our ability to reach specific populations that are at risk of contracting serious illnesses due to COVID-19. Ninety percent of the country lives less than ten miles from a Walmart, and we can make a real difference in our communities by partnering with state and local governments to improve access to the vaccine.
We know that achieving widespread COVID-19 vaccination is how we will end this pandemic and we are ready to serve our communities, customers and associates as we work to achieve this goal. Our pharmacies will continue to support states and the federal government to help increase access and availability of COVID-19 vaccines to Americans across the country.
You can keep up-to-date on how we are supporting vaccine implantation by visiting https://corporate.walmart.com/covid-vaccine.
For more information about the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/index.html.