Wisconsin Walgreens locations gave out all the vaccine they got from the feds in 3 days
“I appreciate focused vaccine outreach efforts to target underserved areas, but vaccine tourism can undermine efforts to get this critical tool into these communities to fight COVID-19.” U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore
That was fast. All of the nearly 18,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine sent to Walgreens locations in Wisconsin through a new federal program were administered in just a few days, a spokeswoman for the pharmacy said.
Vaccinations began in stores on Feb. 12, and all of the doses were used in about three days, Emily Delnicki, a spokeswoman for Walgreens, said in an email.
“Walgreens completed administration of nearly all allocated doses of the first federal weekly allotment within three days,” Delnicki wrote.
Vaccine in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership program is being shipped directly to retail pharmacies to expedite vaccinations across the country.
Delnicki said Wisconsin was one of 17 states and jurisdictions where Walgreens was chosen to administer shots of vaccine through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership program.
“Walgreens has been allotted 180,000 doses per week as part of this program,” Delnicki wrote. “Since beginning these vaccinations, Walgreens has administered all 180,000 doses provided to us, including our doses allocated for Wisconsin.”
That means the 178 Walgreens locations throughout Wisconsin participating in the program administered approximately 17,800 doses a week ago Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
It’s unclear how many doses will be sent in the next shipment. The Biden administration said earlier this week it was doubling the amount of vaccine being sent from the federal government to pharmacies in the program from 1 million to 2 million doses.
“We do not have updated allocations for next week at this time,” Delnicki wrote in a Thursday email. “We will provide updates and additional information as they become available.”
State officials have warned that the frigid weather gripping much of the country has delayed some vaccine shipments.
Stephanie Schauer, Wisconsin’s immunization program manager, said Thursday during a media briefing that the majority of doses arrived in Wisconsin without any impediment. But she added she’d spoken to Walgreens that day and learned it was experiencing some delays because the doses through this program were shipped later in the week.
Walgreens has said that, based on CDC recommendations, it selected stores based on their proximity to socially vulnerable and medically underserved areas.
But as the scramble for vaccine continues, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, a Milwaukee Democrat, said more needs to be done to make sure those in the most vulnerable communities have access to vaccine.
“COVID-19 has caused great harm to communities in Milwaukee that were already vulnerable,” Moore said Thursday in a statement. “I appreciate focused vaccine outreach efforts to target underserved areas, but vaccine tourism can undermine efforts to get this critical tool into these communities to fight COVID-19.”
She said neighborhood residents should be prioritized.
“A solution I would like you to consider is requiring that your Walgreens locations participating in this endeavor use their automatic prescription refill reminder system to notify nearby residents of the vaccine’s availability and to help schedule appointments,” Moore wrote Wednesday in a letter to Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Stefano Pessina. “Using this existing tool will help ensure that those who regularly use these locations for their medical needs are prioritized in the vaccine process, instead of others who may travel long distances to jump in line.”
Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman on Friday responded, saying, “We share Rep. Moore’s desire to increase vaccine access in underserved communities.”
In a statement, Engerman said the pharmacy chain will distribute nearly half of its Federal Retail Pharmacy Program allocation through stores that are in medically underserved areas or communities that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has rated as being more vulnerable to COVID-19. It also plans to host at least 100 off-site vaccination clinics in underserved communities around the country as part of a new Vaccine Equity Initiative.
Walgreens has had an early conversation with the Milwaukee mayor’s office about hosting vaccine clinics in priority ZIP codes, Engerman said.