Coronavirus February 2, 2021

Biden Administration Will Ship COVID Vaccines Directly To Pharmacies Nationwide

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Signs are posted outside of a CVS store on November 5, 2013 in San Francisco, California. CVS Caremark reported a 25 percent surge in third-quarter earnings with profits of $1.25 billion, or $1.02 per share, compared to $1.01 billion, or 79 cents a share one year ago.

In a vivid illustration of the change in White House perspective and policy on COVID-19, the Biden administration said on Tuesday that it will begin distributing coronavirus vaccines directly to retail pharmacies nationwide next week.

The vaccines will be available in 6,500 pharmacies initially, with a relatively modest one million doses distributed each week, beginning on Feb. 11.

Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, told reporters that the effort will then scale up, “eventually up to 40,000 retail pharmacies, including Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid locations,” reports NPR.

The federal government will start sending COVID-19 vaccines directly to pharmacies starting February 11, White House response coordinator Jeff Zients says. First phase of the plan will begin at about 6,500 stores before expanding https://t.co/9T8aUPjUrs pic.twitter.com/OOodcvJnHr
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 2, 2021

Zientz said the administration will also increase the number of vaccine doses shipped to states by 5%, to 10.5 million per week, The Hill reports.

The action will expand access to the vaccines via community drugstores familiar to nearly every American.

“[T]his will provide more sites for people to get vaccinated in their communities and is an important component to delivering vaccines equitably. More than 90% of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, echoing Zientz. And she specifically cited one particular pharmacy, “I don’t know about you, my mother-in-law, my family calls me all the time figuring out how they call the CVS to find out how they can get their vaccine.”

Zients: "Pharmacies are readily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy. That's why we're pleased to announce our first phase of the federal retail pharmacy program for Covid-19 vaccinations." https://t.co/yD18DVCcfh
— Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) February 2, 2021

Zientz also told reporters in a virtual news conference that the administration will boost reimbursement to states “like using the National Guard, dating back to the start of the pandemic last year, a total of $3-5 billion,” The Hill says.

“The federal government has so far shipped nearly 50 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to states,” reports Politico, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC data shows that more than 26 million people have received a first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines — with nearly 6 million getting their second shots as well.

Coincidentally “more than 26 million” is also the number of positive coronavirus tests in the U.S. as of midday Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker. More than 444,000 Americans have died. Both figures are by far the highest in the world, as reported by national governments.