US signs up pharmacy chains as COVID-19 vaccination centres: report

Several US retail pharmacy chains have agreed to serve as COVID-19 vaccination sites under a federal government plan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

A plan by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed companies who have agreed to participate include Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, CVS Health Corp, Walmart Inc, Kroger Co and Costco Wholesale Corp, the report here said.

The government would provide the vaccines to the pharmacies free of charge, the Wall Street Journal report said, to help expand and accelerate the public’s access to vaccines as supplies increase.

The pharmacies would be involved in the second phase of the planned vaccine rollout in the United States, the report said, with the first phase targeted at healthcare workers and others at high risk of infection.

The companies involved in the plan and the CDC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.