Drug Store News - Powered by Dow Jones· US|February 02, 2021·12:00am As the United States surpasses 26 million COVID-19 infections, President Joe Biden took additional steps Tuesday to implement his comprehensive national strategy to combat the pandemic. The plan includes the launch next week of the first phase of the federal pharmacy program in which select pharmacies nationwide will start offering vaccinations for their communities. CVS Health and Walgreens have already begun outlining their plans for the rollout next week. These new steps will help meet the President’s goal of administering 100 million shots in 100 days and expand access to vaccines to more Americans in the coming weeks.
National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson issued the following statement following the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program launch, as described by White House COVID-19 Response coordinator Jeff Zients: “Today’s announcement is another crucial step forward to helping Americans get back to all we need and love – and we look forward to the program being ramped-up as vaccine supply increases. Trusted local pharmacies are ready to turn vaccine doses into vaccination appointments.
“We all know that vaccine supply remains the rate-limiting step at this time; yet the nation’s network of community pharmacies can readily meet the goal of giving 100 million vaccinations in one month assuming such supply is available. As White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients articulated so well today, 90% of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy and the nation’s 40,000 regional and national pharmacy locations are vital for scaling COVID-19 vaccinations. Pharmacies are key to giving COVID-19 vaccinations efficiently and equitably.
Print Page
Email to a Friend