BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walmart’s Vice President of Health and Wellness Operations, Amanda Jenkins, released the following article today:
This morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared information on the U.S. Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Through this partnership, Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies can now accept and administer federal allocations of the COVID-19 vaccine. Walmart and Sam’s Club are working with the federal government to help increase access to COVID-19 vaccines at select pharmacies in 22 states once vaccine doses are available, starting late next week.
Once our locations have received the vaccines, eligible customers can reserve a convenient vaccine appointment directly via a scheduling tool on the Walmart and Sam’s Club website, while allocation lasts. In addition to appointments, the scheduler will provide a digital reminder when it’s time to return for the second dose of the vaccine in order for the vaccine to be fully effective.
What does this mean?
Our pharmacies will be receiving limited allocation from the federal government, but not until next week at the earliest. Once a store or club receives allocation, our online scheduler will be available to make appointments at www.walmart.com/COVIDvaccine and www.samsclub.com/covid. Eligibility will be determined by the states for who can receive the vaccine, and we will follow their guidance.
How many doses will Walmart receive?
Walmart is receiving allocation from the federal government, but supply is still limited. We will schedule appointments based on how many doses we receive. Appointments will increase once additional doses become available.
In which 22 states will Walmart be a federal pharmacy partner?
Once we receive allocation from the federal government, we will be administering the vaccine in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Louisiana and Wyoming. In some of those states, we already have agreements in place with the state governments and are already administering vaccines from the state allocation. In partnership with states and jurisdictions, we are currently vaccinating in Arkansas, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chicago, New Jersey, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, District of Columbia, Tennessee, Delaware, Wyoming, Virginia, Iowa and Pennsylvania.
Walmart is proud to be selected by both CDC and state governments based on a number of factors, including our ability to reach specific populations that are at risk of experiencing severe illness from COVID-19. Ninety percent of the country lives within ten miles of a Walmart, and we can make a real difference in our communities by partnering with state and local governments to improve access to the vaccine.
We know that achieving widespread COVID-19 vaccination is how we will eventually end this pandemic, and we are ready to serve our communities, customers and associates as we work towards this goal. Our pharmacies will continue to support states and the federal government to help increase the accessibility and availability of COVID-19 vaccines for Americans across the country.
You can stay up to date on how we’re supporting the vaccine rollout by visiting https://corporate.walmart.com/covid-vaccine.
For more information on the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/index.html.