The coronavirus pandemic thrust pharmacists into the front line of community health when many physicians’ offices and hospitals were closed to non-COVID-19 patients this spring, often leaving pharmacists as the primary provider of health information and COVID-19 testing in many locations. Entering 2021, pharmacists again take center stage in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus as the U.S. Government looks to them to play the starring role in administering vaccines.
“We are leveraging the existing private sector infrastructure to get safe and effective vaccines supported by Operation Warp Speed into communities and into arms as quickly as possible with no out-of-pocket costs,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar. “The vast majority of Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, and our new agreement with pharmacy partners across America is a critical step toward making sure all Americans have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines when they are available.”
The distribution plan developed by Operation Warp Speed—a cooperative effort between HHS and the Department of Defense to deliver 300 million doses of vaccine by early 2021—builds on the extensive relationships pharmacies have built with the CDC and local public health officials. Since 2012, the CDC has included pharmacies as a critical component of pandemic preparedness exercises and capabilities, noted CDC Director Robert Redfield.
The Administration has inked agreements with large chain pharmacies and independent networks that involve about 60% of the nation’s pharmacies. Community pharmacies that are not part of current agreements are encouraged to coordinate with the public health department in their local jurisdiction to become COVID-19 vaccine providers.
For most community pharmacies, providing the COVID-19 vaccine fits naturally into their existing workflow. Pharmacists in all 50 states can provide vaccines to adults and, during the COVID-19 emergency, to children as well. A survey earlier this year by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) found that 86% of pharmacists expected to offer COVID-19 immunization when the vaccines became available.
The involvement of independent pharmacies in the vaccination program will be critical to reaching individuals who live in small towns and rural areas. Most community pharmacists operate in areas with populations under 50,000 people and nearly two in five work in communities with no more than 10,000 residents.
“Community pharmacies are concentrated in places where there are not many other pharmacies or health care providers,” said NCPA Chief Executive Officer Douglas Hoey. “Penetrating those medically underserved communities will be a challenge for public health officials. What this data shows is that community pharmacies must be part of the solution.”
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