CVS Health Will Provide COVID-19 Inoculations In Six More States

Some CVS Pharmacy stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, Arizona and Alabama will provide coronavirus inoculations to qualified populations via the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. The additions come on the heels of a mid-February launch in 11 states, with the inclusion of Virginia, New York and Massachusetts, according to a Wednesday (Feb. 24) announcement.

Almost 10,000 CVS Pharmacy stores exist throughout the country and nearly 50 percent of them are in places considered to be very high or high in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index (SVI).

Elevated SVI rank — in addition to “population density and area demographics” — are essential factors when selecting which CVS Pharmacy stores will provide coronavirus inoculations, according to the announcement.

“Feedback on every aspect of the vaccination process has been incredibly positive, from the digital experience to interacting with our team of health care professionals,” CVS Health President and Chief Executive Officer Karen S. Lynch said in the announcement. “We’re also making significant progress in reaching vulnerable communities, which will continue to be an essential part of our vaccination effort.”

CVS Health has been providing coronavirus inoculations on a limited basis in Ohio through state allocations. As additional supply becomes available via the federal program, the firm will grow to more states as it also bolsters the count of stores providing inoculations.

CVS Pharmacy can administer between 20 million and 25 million inoculations monthly, according to the announcement.

As previously reported, an effort that sends millions of Americans into pharmacies for coronavirus inoculations could be a real boost for an industry that has suffered amid the pandemic.

Even though pharmacies have remained open as “essential” businesses for the most part, experts say they’ve lost revenues because of the outbreak. After all, U.S. consumers are ordering more items via the web or picking up toiletries and other pharmacy mainstays at supermarkets to cut down on exposure to over one shop.