Walgreens, another major pharmacy in Connecticut, also is gearing up to provide the shots at its locations in the state.
Under agreements with the federal government, both pharmacy giants are expected to play a major role in delivering the vaccine to the general public in the months ahead. In addition to providing vaccines at its retail pharmacies, CVS and Walgreen’s will administer shots to all of the state’s 22,000 nursing home and assisted living residents. This could begin as early as late next week.
CVS, which owns Hartford-based health insurer Aetna, said the vaccine could become generally available in its pharmacies across the country as soon as late March. But how quickly it will be distributed to the general public will depend on timetables established by individual states.
CVS said it will draw on its experience providing flu shots annually in its pharmacies, an increasing number now being reconfigured to include “HealthHubs,” a larger space in its pharmacies containing “MinuteClinics” devoted to patient health care.
CVS also said it has developed safety procedures drawing on its experience testing for COVID-19.
“These include safety measures and cleaning protocols, as well as using a seamless digital experience that will allow people to book their appointments and receive important reminders,” CVS spokesman Joe Goode said.
The booking and follow-up communication — two shots, an initial vaccination and a later “booster” are generally expected to be required to complete the vaccination — is likely to be through the CVS app.
CVS said its pharmacies are already equipped with standard refrigeration and freezing equipment for five of the six expected vaccines, including Moderna’s. For Pfizer’s “ultra-cold” requirement, dry ice will be used to transport the vaccine. The dry ice will be replaced every five days for up to 20 days for each shipment of the vaccine.
According to the CVS web site, no patient will be charged for the vaccine or the procedure. The federal government will provide the vaccine and health care providers will be reimbursed by the patient’s insurance or for those without insurance, programs that cover the uninsured, the web site says.
CVS said it will be able to administer 20-25 million shots per month across it’s 10,000 locations nationwide, covering 10 to 12.5 million people a month with the two-shot vaccine.
On Monday, Connecticut’s governor, Ned Lamont, issued an executive order giving licensed pharmacists — including those employed by the big chains and the smaller independents — the authority to administer the vaccine.
Last week, Lamont said the first wave of vaccinations will go to health care workers, nursing home residents and emergency medical responders. Those vaccinations are expected to begin in mid-December and are expected to continue through Jan. 25.
CVS said it will be part of the early to push vaccinate residents of nursing homes, again drawing on its experience providing flu shots at nursing homes. CVS will use a “hub-and-spoke” strategy, with doses for nursing homes stored at about 1,100 pharmacies. Teams would then pick up the vaccine before visiting nursing homes.
The number of doses needed for each nursing home will be determined prior to the visit and will include extra for new residents or staff members, CVS said. Pharmacists from CVS locations will do most of the vaccinations, but more may be hired to administer the vaccine, CVS said.
The next wave, which will begin in late January and last until late May, will include residents over the age of 65, high-risk residents under the age of 65, critical workforce employees, people who live in congregate settings, including incarcerated people.
The general public would start receiving vaccinations in early June, with everyone who wants the shots hopefully vaccinated by early fall 2021, state officials said.
Contact Kenneth R. Gosselin at kgosselin@courant.com.
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