CVS Health opened COVID-19 vaccination clinics in two pharmacies in Connecticut on Wednesday, the first steps in a rollout that is eventually expected to include most of its 180 pharmacies in the state, an effort that is seen as critical to fighting the coronavirus.
The CVS clinics that opened Wednesday are in Putnam and Waterford and were chosen to be the first because they are bringing the vaccine to areas of the state that have fewer options for vaccinations. CVS worked with the state to pick the locations.
The CVS locations join a dozen opened in Connecticut last week by another pharmacy giant, Walgreens. Walgreens operates 116 pharmacies in the state.
“In the short run between now and the coming weeks, they are helping us cover some of the more remote areas of the state,” Josh Geballe, the state’s chief operating officer, said Wednesday. “As they increasingly open up most of their retail locations, they will help provide even more options for vaccinations.”
Connecticut continues to see high levels of deaths attributed to COVID-19, even as the state’s test positivity rate has decreased. As of Wednesday, the total number of deaths during the pandemic had reached nearly 7,000 in the state.
While the vaccination efforts of major health care systems in Hartford and New Haven initially have grabbed a lot of attention, the pharmacy chains with their stores in towns and cities across the state are expected to emerge as a critical piece of the vaccination puzzle.
Geballe said he expects more pharmacy-based clinics to open by the spring, bringing convenience and familiarity to those seeking the vaccine.
Under agreements with the federal government, both Walgreens and CVS will take a national role in administering the vaccine. In Connecticut, CVS and Walgreens have first focused on vaccinating the state’s 22,000 nursing home and assisted living residents.
How quickly CVS, which owns Hartford-based health insurer Aetna, and Walgreens can ramp up clinics in their pharmacies will largely depend on the volume of vaccine that comes to the state from the federal government, which has been in short supply.
For example, this week, providers in Connecticut have the capacity to administer 150,000 doses, but received only 46,000, Geballe said.
“We could have used three times that,” he said.
In Putnam, CVS pharmacist Ali O’Hearn said there is clearly “pent-up” demand, noting that 150 slots Wednesday filled up and word had just gotten out late Tuesday that the clinic was opening.
“Other customers are coming in and saying, ‘What’s going on here today?” because there is more foot traffic, cars out in the parking lot and they are seeing all the people,” O’Hearn said.
She said that provided an opportunity to talk about scheduling an appointment.
CVS has said it will draw on its experience providing flu shots annually in its pharmacies and safety procedures it developed conducting broad-based coronavirus testing. Both CVS and Walgreens launched a hiring blitz to ramp up staffing for vaccination clinics.
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