(RTTNews) - CVS Health Corp. said it will offer COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible people at a limited number of CVS Pharmacy locations across 11 states.
It will start with approximately 250,000 total doses, which is sourced directly from the federal government through the pharmacy partnership program.
The select pharmacies will start offering COVID-19 vaccinations from February 11, with appointments available through booking as early as February 9.
With more than 90,000 health care professionals including pharmacists, licensed pharmacy technicians, and nurses, CVS Pharmacy said it is well positioned to administer 20 million to 25 million shots per month.
Out of the total initial supply, the state of California has been allocated 81,900 vaccine doses, followed by 38,000 for Texas, 26,000 for Virginia, 21,600 for Massachusetts, 20,600 for New York and 19,900 for New Jersey. South Carolina will receive 15,300, Maryland 11,000, Connecticut 6,800, Hawaii 4,400 and Rhode Island 3,400.
CVS Health is also working with Indiana and Ohio to provide in-store vaccinations to eligible populations using state allocations. It added that other states may also choose the same option, which is separate from the federal pharmacy partnership program but can run concurrently.
The health care company is planning to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to additional states as and when it receives more supplies of the vaccine. There are nearly 10,000 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide, with almost half located in communities ranked high or very high in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index.
The company said vaccines in a retail setting will be offered on an appointment-only basis via CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app. Those who don't have online access can contact the company's customer service.
CVS Health has already administered the first round of COVID-19 vaccine doses to nearly 8,000 skilled nursing facilities. The second doses are more than 60 percent complete and will be fully completed within the next three weeks.
According to the company, first doses at all long-term care facilities that selected CVS Health to provide COVID-19 vaccinations, totaling more than 40,000, will be complete by mid-February.
In October last year, the U.S. government had inked a public-private Pharmacy Partnership with CVS and Walgreens to provide and administer COVID-19 vaccines to protect vulnerable American residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) nationwide with no out-of-pocket costs. These include skilled nursing facilities (SNF), nursing homes, assisted living facilities, residential care homes, and adult family homes.