On February 2, the White House announced that the US government will increase distribution of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses nationwide. The principal increase will be in the form of 1 million doses per week that will be distributed to approximately 6,500 retail pharmacies nationwide, including major chains such as CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. The pharmacies will make vaccination available to eligible individuals free of charge, which will dramatically increase the number of locations in the community where individuals can get vaccinated. The plan aims to scale up the number of participating pharmacies to 40,000 locations across the country. Notably, the allocation for pharmacies will be in addition to the doses already distributed to states, and the state allotment will also increase by 500,000 doses per week, up to 10.5 million doses per week nationally. Many pharmacies are already supporting vaccination operations in collaboration with state and local governments, but the new program will distribute the doses directly to pharmacies.
