Pharmacy chains offering COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents

The country's three leading drug retailers now are offering doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents as young as 12. CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid and Walgreens all are offering the Pfizer vaccine for this age group following the Food and Drug Administration authorized its use for adolescents 12 to 15 years old. 

CVS Health is offering appointments for the age group at more than 5,600 locations nationwide, beginning May 13. The company is encouraging the use of its online and app-based appointment scheduler to ensure availability of the correct vaccine, but walk-ins also are accepted. Also, as part of its Return Ready solution for business, schools and other organizations, any entity with more than 48 participants can sponsor an onsite clinic, and inquire via this form.

"With every new wave of eligibility our teams have worked around the clock to ensure vaccine access as soon as possible," said Karen Lynch, president and CEO, CVS Health. "Offering vaccinations to younger populations at thousands of locations across the country brings us one step closer to prevailing over the pandemic."

At Rite Aid, as it opens availability for the vaccine for patients 12 to 17 years old to make an appointment to receive a dose of the Pfizer vaccine, it also is debuting a tool for schools and organizations to directly inquire about vaccine clinics. The clinic inquiry tool offers an efficient way to organize onsite vaccine clinics to bring the vaccine directly to a community. 

“Opening eligibility for those 12 and older is a major step forward in the effort to get as many people vaccinated as possible and help bring an end to the pandemic,” said Jim Peters, chief operating officer, Rite Aid. “But we know that availability of the vaccine is just one step. It’s important to reach people where they learn, gather, work, and worship. To make the vaccination process as safe and seamless as possible, we've designed a tool on our website that makes scheduling a pop-up clinic simple. Whether it’s COVID-19 testing or vaccine clinics, we’re eager to help our communities thrive.”

At Walgreens, the company said it is offering the vaccine for patients 12 to 15 years old, who can schedule an appointment via its online schedules. Starting May 13, Walgreens said same-day appointments would be available online, via its mobile app, over the phone or via walk-in, up to 30 minutes prior to the desired appointment time.