Walmart in federal program to administer COVID-19 vaccines in 19 states

Walmart is on the list of a handful of retailers that will be administering COVID-19 vaccines in their pharmacies through a federal program.

Under the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination, 21 national pharmacy partners — including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Kroger and Albertsons — will accept and administer federal allocations of the COVID-19 vaccine. The retailers won’t be receiving vaccines at all of their locations, but instead will participate on a state-by-state and store-by-store basis. 

Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies will be receiving limited allocation from the federal government, but not until next week at the earliest, said Amanda Jenkins, VP, health & wellness operations, Walmart U.S., in a blog post on the chain’s site. Eligibility will be determined by the states for who can receive the vaccine.

Once Walmart receives allocation from the federal government, it will be administering the vaccine in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Louisiana and Wyoming. 

In addition to the federal program, Walmart also have agreements in place with local governments and is administering vaccines in partnership with state, territory and district jurisdictions. The company is currently vaccinating in Arkansas, Chicago, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming and Virginia.

“We know that achieving widespread COVID-19 vaccination is how we will eventually end this pandemic, and we are ready to serve our communities, customers and associates as we work towards this goal,” Jenkins said. “Our pharmacies will continue to support states and the federal government to help increase the accessibility and availability of COVID-19 vaccines for Americans across the country.”