CVS Health to begin COVID-19 vaccines in Md. long-term care facilities

CVS Health has formally launched its COVID-19 vaccination program for long-term care facilities in Maryland, whose residents have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic.

CVS Pharmacy teams will administer the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in facilities across Maryland Wednesday and 11 other states this week, and the company expects to vaccinate up to four million residents and staff at more than 40,000 long-term care facilities through the program.

CVS Pharmacy teams will make three visits to each long-term care facility to ensure residents and staff receive their initial shot and critical booster. The majority of residents and staff will be fully vaccinated three to four weeks after the first visit, depending on which vaccine they receive. CVS Health expects to complete its long-term care facility vaccination effort in approximately 12 weeks.

CVS Health will administer COVID-19 vaccinations starting this week in Maryland, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Vermont. Vaccinations will begin in 36 more states, as well as the District of Columbia, on Dec. 28. Puerto Rico will activate on Jan. 4.

The long-term care facility vaccination effort is a precursor to the eventual availability of COVID-19 vaccines at all CVS Pharmacy locations throughout the country subject to product availability and prioritization of populations, which will be determined by states. Vaccines in a retail setting will be offered on an appointment-only basis via CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app, and there will be a dedicated 800 number for people without online access. CVS Pharmacy will have the capacity to administer 20 million to 25 million shots per month.