Select CVS stores to offer COVID-19 vaccine starting Feb. 11

NEW YORK - Under a new federal program, the pharmacy chain CVS Health will start offering COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible people at more than 300 stores in 11 states — including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut — starting next week, the company announced on Tuesday.

Launching Feb. 11, the program will initially get 250,000 doses through the federal government. CVS said it intends to expand it when more vaccine doses become available. (Select CVS stores in a few states are already administering the vaccine from those states' supply.)

"Our presence in communities across the country makes us an ideal partner for administering vaccines in a safe, convenient, and familiar manner," CVS President and CEO Karen Lynch said in a statement. "This is particularly true for underserved communities, which have been a focus for us throughout the pandemic."

The company said that almost half of its 10,000 CVS Pharmacy locations around the country are in areas ranked high or very high in CDC's Social Vulnerability Index, which identifies communities based on more than a dozen social factors, including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing.

"As more supply becomes available the company will expand to additional states while increasing the number of stores offering vaccinations," CVS said in a statement.

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The vaccination effort will involve more than 90,000 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses, giving CVS Pharmacy the infrastructure to eventually administer 20 million to 25 million shots per month, the company said.

To get vaccinated at a CVS location, you will have to make an appointment on CVS.com, or via the CVS Pharmacy mobile app, or by phone at 800-746-7287. 

A CVS Pharmacy worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a patient in Fall River, Mass., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. (Courtesy of CVS Health)

As stores receive shipments of the vaccine, appointments will become available as early as Feb. 9. The initial doses will be allocated as follows:

• Connecticut: 6,800 doses at 12 locations 
• New Jersey: 19,900 doses at 27 locations
• New York (excluding New York City): 20,600 doses at 32 locations

With The Associated Press