Skowhegan, Maine – Pat and John Thomas were watching the news one night last week when they saw that Walmart in this central Maine city of 8,000 was making appointments for the Covid-19 vaccination. They had signed up for injections at a hospital about a month ago, but had yet to receive an answer. Mrs. Thomas, a 74-year-old retiree, jumped on the computer.
On Friday, the couple received their first doses of Skowhegan Walmart under a new federal government program that provides Covid-19 vaccines directly to retail pharmacies across the country.
“We will be able to see our family and friends,” said Thomas, a former assistant manager at a bank who is married to her husband, a 78-year-old retired accountant for 48 years. “It will be great to be able to visit and go somewhere when you are not afraid.”
Walmart Inc., the largest retailer and private employer in the United States, is set to become one of the largest distributors of the Covid-19 vaccine as the federal government calls on retail pharmacies to accelerate what has been an eventful launch.
Last week, 21 retail chains and drugstore chains began administering these doses, including CVS, Walgreens, Kroger and grocery stores in all 50 states. The government initially plans to give about one million doses a week directly to pharmacies. About 200,000 of them are going to Walmart, a spokeswoman said.