In the hopes of reaching its revised goal of inoculating 150 million Americans against COVID-19 in President Biden’s first 100 days in office, the Biden administration will begin sending vaccines directly to pharmacies. By mid-February, COVID-19 vaccines might even be available at your local CVS.

The federal partnership with a number of pharmacies will begin on Feb. 11. Right out of the gate, the government intends to send around 1 million doses weekly to about 6,500 pharmacies around the nation, according to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients. These will be in addition to the weekly shipments each state receives. 

CVS locations intend to begin performing vaccinations the same day the program launches. The chain is expected to receive upward of 250,000 doses, distributed between 330 separate CVS stores across 11 states. In Texas alone, 70 CVS locations are prepped and ready to begin vaccinations on Feb. 11.

Eligible people can begin making appointments for their CVS COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 9. Patients should register in advance at CVS.com, through the chain’s app, or by calling customer service at (800) 746-7287. No vaccinations will be provided without an appointment.

Walgreens will begin providing vaccinations just after CVS, on Feb. 12. The Biden administration hopes to ramp up the program eventually but is treating the first few weeks as a trial of sorts. Once the program is confirmed to be effective, the administration intends to scale up efforts. 

“Eventually, as we’re able to increase supply, up to 40,000 pharmacies nationwide could provide COVID-19 vaccinations,” Zients said. The Biden team is continuing to explore options to speed up vaccinations around the nation.

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Sources: Politico, Click2Houston

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