One million doses of the coronavirus vaccine were sent to about 6,500 pharmacies last week. The pharmacies that have the vaccine were selected by the CDC and by states on their ability to reach the most vulnerable Americans.
President Joe Biden says the United States is now on track to have enough vaccines for 300 million Americans by the end of July.
"As supply ramps up, we're also creating new convenient locations for vaccinations," said Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator. "These include standing up community vaccination centers, deploying mobile vaccine units and launching new programs with pharmacies."
The federal government began direct shipments of coronavirus vaccines to pharmacies late last week. More than half of the one million available doses were allocated to CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid, but not all stores will get the vaccine initially.
In a news release, CVS said "as more supply becomes available, the company will expand to additional states while increasing the number of stores offering vaccinations."
The pharmacies that received the doses will follow the state's guidelines and only vaccinate people who are eligible in that state.
Appointments can be made online or by phone. At Walgreens, appointments can be booked through a vaccine scheduler and the CVS website lets you search by state.
There is normally a 15 minute wait time after getting the COVID-19 shot, which is in place to make sure people do not have an allergic reaction.
The National Association of Drug Stores says pharmacies across the United States have the capacity to administer 100 million doses of the vaccine in a month, but will need enough doses to do so.
