Vaccine wait persists at stores

It’s likely to be months before pharmacies can offer shots on demand.

While millions of coronavirus vaccine doses are available, it could be months until anyone can just walk into a pharmacy for a dose, a frustrating situation for chains as well as customers.

People still need to make appointments online or over the phone to get vaccinated at drugstores, a policy designed to prevent crowds from forming and help pharmacists manage scarce supplies. The system isn’t working optimally and is unlikely to change anytime soon, said Rina Shah, Walgreens vice president of pharmacy operations.

That could hold back sales for drugstores that rely on back-ofthe-store pharmacy purchase to drive front-of-store sales. Masking and social-distancing measures have already hurt the market for cold and flu products, and shots would be another way to get customers in the door.

“I’m hopeful in the future it will become a normal thing where you can go into any pharmacy and get a vaccine,” Shah said. “It’s just … we’re a little further away from that right now.”

Walgreens, CVS and other drugstores and chains that receive vaccines directly from the government offer more than 40,000 locations to help immunize every American 16 and older. The problem is finding an appointment at one of them, an ordeal that’s been compared to “The Hunger Games,” a dystopian series about children who are forced to fight to the death on television. Bookings are snapped up the minute they appear. Websites dedicated solely to simplifying the search process have cropped up.

It’s another in a series of headaches for drugstores that have seen panic-buying of items like toilet paper and toothpaste abate. Patients are avoiding clinics and doctors’ offices, meaning prescriptions are down.

The mild cold and flu season hammered sales of over-thecounter remedies at Rite Aid Corp. by 37%, the company said. Walgreens executives similarly warned about weakness in the therapies’ sales during the company’s January earnings call. Walgreens investors will see what came to pass today when the company reports quarterly results.

Coronavirus vaccines are moneymakers on their own since pharmacies get paid for administering shots. Administering them could plug some of those holes and lure customers. It should become easier to find one as stores receive more doses, Shah said. CVS anticipates there will be enough shots for the country starting May 1.

FILE People still need to make appointments to get COVID-19 vaccines at drugstores. The problem is finding an available appointment at one of them, and the system is unlikely to change anytime soon.