Biden Enlists Pharmacies in COVID Fight

NEW YORK — With a flicker of light at the end of what has been a very dark and long tunnel, the country can begin returning to normalcy in a few months so long as we keep swinging at and hitting the right targets, according to chief COVID adviser to the White House Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Along with keeping up social distancing and wearing masks, the vaccines being rolled out now to the American public could be the final knockout blow everyone has been desperately awaiting. Despite a sluggish start, Fauci said the pace of distributing the vaccines will pick up rapidly in the coming months, and central to that quickening is President Joe Biden’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
The plan distributes doses directly to retail pharmacies across the country and is aimed at meeting the president’s goal of administering 100 million shots in 100 days and expanding access the vaccines to more Americans as the rollout progresses.

Retail pharmacies have argued from the jump that they could play a critical role in getting the needed shots in the arms of Americans based on the knowledge and experience of local pharmacists in administering flu shots and other common vaccines as well as the level of trust pharmacies have established in their communities.

For its part, CVS has already announced it will begin offering COVID vaccines to those eligible at some pharmacies in 11 states — California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York (not New York City), Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.Walgreens also announced plans to start vaccinating across 15 states this month as part of the president’s strategy. “Walgreens was one of the first pharmacies to begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations in December to long-term-care facility staff and residents, and we look forward to leveraging our experience to support the federal government and CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] in expanding access to these vaccines,” said John Standley, president of Walgreens. “Our pharmacy teams have already provided nearly 2 million COVID-19 vaccinations and stand ready with their expertise to help educate and vaccinate additional Americans, including those in rural and underserved communities.”

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