CVS bringing COVID vaccines to NC nursing homes. They could reach stores soon.
CVS Health and Walgreens will soon begin vaccinating residents and staff at long-term care facilities across North Carolina. The COVID vaccines could be available at CVS pharmacies and Walgreens stores for the general public within months.
North Carolina health officials have prioritized residents for the vaccinations in four phases, starting with health care workers and residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
It will be weeks or months before vaccines are available for the general public. But Charlotte doctors have said the vaccine could be widely available in North Carolina within the first half of the year.
Beginning Dec. 28, CVS Health will bring COVID-19 vaccines to 899 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the state.
Once vaccines are available for the general public, getting a coronavirus vaccine at CVS will be the “exactly identical” process as getting a flu vaccine, said Charlotte-based pharmacy supervisor Marshal Carter.
People will be able to set up appointments for the COVID vaccine at CVS through its website, app or by texting, Carter said.
At that point, CVS Health expects to deliver 20 to 25 million shots per month at 10,000 locations across the country, Carter told The Observer.
Walgreens also plans to begin administering vaccines to long-term care facilities in North Carolina starting the week of Dec. 28. Vaccines will likely be available for the general population at Walgreens stores sometime in 2021, according to the Walgreens’ website.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
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