California Partners with CVS and Walgreens to Vaccinate Long-Term Care Facilities

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state's participation in the federal COVID-19 Pharmacy Partnership, which will enable CVS and Walgreens to administer the Pfizer vaccine to residents and staff in long-term care facilities at no cost to the state or local government. The partnership aims to prioritize the vaccination of the most vulnerable populations, including nursing home residents and staff, assisted living residents, and other long-term care facility staff and residents. The program will involve pharmacy staff from CVS and Walgreens visiting each facility multiple times to administer the vaccine to all residents and employees who wish to be vaccinated.

Key Takeaways:

The California state government has partnered with CVS and Walgreens to administer the Pfizer vaccine to residents and staff in long-term care facilities at no cost to the state or local government.
The partnership will prioritize the vaccination of the most vulnerable populations, including nursing home residents and staff, assisted living residents, and other long-term care facility staff and residents.
Approximately 499 nursing homes will receive vaccine from CVS, and 357 will receive vaccine from Walgreens.
Pharmacy technicians will participate in the vaccination effort under a recent waiver by the Board of Pharmacy that requires appropriate supervision and specialized training.
The vaccination effort will be led by pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses, with pharmacy staff visiting each facility multiple times to ensure that all residents and employees who wish to be vaccinated receive the vaccine.
The partnership allows for the vaccination of high-priority individuals, including front-line healthcare workers, in addition to prioritizing vulnerable populations.
Dr. Erica Pan, interim state public health officer, stated that the partnership is an opportunity to augment other vaccination efforts at the local level to prioritize the most vulnerable Californians.

Statistics:

499 nursing homes will receive vaccine from CVS
357 nursing homes will receive vaccine from Walgreens
Estimated three-four weeks to vaccinate nursing home residents and staff

Sources:

Gov. Gavin Newsom
Dr. Erica Pan, interim state public health officer
CVS and Walgreens
California State Government
Board of Pharmacy