CVS, one of the 21 pharmacy partners participating in the Biden administration’s COVID-19 Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, reportedly has pushed back its launch date to today. About a million doses are being sent to select pharmacies across the country in an effort to ramp up vaccinations for persons 65 and older.
As health experts recognize the importance of the retail pharmacy program, a LeadingAge told McKnight’s Home Care Daily that vaccinating older adults remains a challenge. Policymakers need to include “providers of care in the home and community, such as home healthcare and hospice workers, in plans for how to vaccinate homebound older adults and people with disabilities,” who have difficulty participating in a retail pharmacy program.
“The lack of coordinated distribution at the federal level,” the spokeswoman said, “leaves other older adults who are not in prioritized categories vulnerable.”
A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis recently found that most older adults have not yet been vaccinated.
