COVID-19 vaccinations in Pa. and N.J. nursing homes to start Dec. 28, CVS and Walgreens say
Staff and residents of care homes, which have been hotbeds of coronavirus deaths, are in the top priority group to receive vaccines.
Long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey will be part of the second wave of COVID-19 vaccination clinics, CVS and Walgreens say.
The two chains are participating in the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program that will bring the vaccine to most of the nation’s nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Staff and residents of care homes, which have been hotbeds of coronavirus deaths, are in the top priority group to receive vaccines.
Also included in the first group are other health-care workers. Many hospitals began vaccinating front-line workers last week.
Both CVS and Walgreens said they would begin giving shots in Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Dec. 28.
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Walgreens said it began administering the vaccines in Connecticut, Florida and Ohio on Friday and expects to visit 800 facilities this week.
Both companies said they would be vaccinating in the same 12 states this week: Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Vermont.
The companies have agreed to visit each facility three times. The vaccines require two doses either three or four weeks apart.
In a news release, CVS said it expects its long-term care vaccination program to last about 12 weeks. It said it will eventually be able to give vaccines to the general public by appointment only.