CVS, Walgreens to begin nursing home vaccinations

CVS and Walgreens will begin COVID-19 vaccinations of residents and staff at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities Friday, hoping to stem the deaths and illnesses that disproportionately impacted some of the nation’s most vulnerable since the pandemic began.

As part of a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the two organizations will begin their effort to vaccinate millions of residents at thousands of facilities across the U.S.

“Walgreens is very proud to be a part of this historic milestone to begin administering Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to our most vulnerable populations,” Walgreens President John Standley said in a statement.

“With more than a decade of experience administering various vaccines, we have the deep expertise to support this unprecedented effort to allow our nation to emerge from this pandemic.”

There is no federal requirement that staff or residents be vaccinated against COVID-19 but experts are hoping it is widely accepted.

Why it matter: More than 100,000 residents and staff of long-term care facilities have died of COVID-19. Congregate settings like nursing homes have proved to be the most dangerous areas for COVID-19 transmission, and the elderly are most likely to face severe complications, including death, if they get the disease.