CVS Health offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 80 Florida stores
In an ongoing effort to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and help the country move forward from the pandemic, CVS Health today announced that it will begin to administer vaccines to eligible populations at 81 select CVS Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy y más, and Navarro Discount Pharmacy locations across Florida. The announcement was made today during a news conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"I'm pleased to join CVS Health today to announce 81 additional COVID-19 vaccination sites across our state, including 67 in Miami-Dade County," DeSantis said. "These sites at select CVS Health locations will build on the progress we've made at existing retail sites and provide greater access to the vaccine in Florida's communities. We look forward to the success of this partnership and will continue working to expand vaccine availability to Floridians."
For the select CVS Health retail locations that will begin to offer COVID-19 vaccinations in Florida, appointments will become available for booking later this week as stores receive shipments of vaccines. Vaccines at participating CVS Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy y ms, and Navarro Discount Pharmacy locations in Florida will be available to individuals meeting state criteria, which will be confirmed by the state.
Patients must register in advance here or through the CVS Pharmacy app, and people without online access can contact CVS customer service: (800) 746-7287. Walk-in vaccinations without an appointment will not be provided.
Supply for the limited rollout in the state, which is sourced directly from the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, will be approximately 62,000 total weekly doses. Participating CVS Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy y ms, and Navarro Discount Pharmacy locations are in the following Florida counties: Broward, Collier, Escambia, Flagler, Hendry, Gadsden, Hillsborough, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie, and Volusia. As more supply becomes available, the company will expand vaccine access through an increasing number of store locations in more Florida counties.
"One of our greatest strengths as a company is our presence in communities across the country, which makes us an ideal partner for administering vaccines in a safe, convenient, and inclusive manner," said Ahmed Velez, CVS Health region director. "We look forward to continuing to work with the state to defeat the virus and deliver on our shared commitment to increase access to the vaccine for underserved communities, in particular Florida's Black and Hispanic populations."
The 81 locations across Florida follows the successful Feb. 12 rollout in 11 states, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Vaccines will eventually be available at CVS Pharmacy locations throughout the country subject to product availability, with the capacity to administer 20- 25 million shots per month.
In addition to making COVID-19 vaccines available in local pharmacy locations, CVS Health continues to make progress in its effort to vaccinate residents and staff at more than 2,000 long-term care facilities across Florida through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program.
As made clear by regularly updated data CVS Health makes publicly available, the company has completed vaccines for all skilled nursing facilities, and will complete second doses at assisted living and other facilities by mid-March.