Retailers announce plans to administer COVID-19 vaccine boosters

On the heels of public health officials announcing plans to make booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines available beginning in late September, retailers, including CVS Health, Walgreens, and Publix said they are prepared to administer the boosters.

CVS Health issued a statement in which it said, “As we await further guidance and approval from regulatory agencies, we’re fully prepared to play a leading role in providing booster shots this fall.  We’ve administered more than 30 million COVID-19 vaccines across the country, and immediately began offering third doses to immunocompromised individuals when authorized to do so.”

Although booster shots are not yet available at Walgreens, the company said, “As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to follow guidance from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to administer vaccines to eligible populations and feel confident we have the pharmacy expertise, infrastructure and local community presence to accelerate access to these vaccinations. We will share more information once we receive additional guidance from the FDA and CDC.”

[Related Content: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna booster shot to be available in September]

Publix said that in response to the new guidance provided by the CDC, Publix Pharmacy is providing third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. Third doses are available by appointment through the company's online reservation system or on a walk-in basis. 

In addition, the retailer plans to continue to provide first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible individuals. In accordance with CDC guidelines, individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are eligible to receive a third dose of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Third doses are recommended to be provided 28 days or more after the second dose and should be the same brand as an individual’s previous doses.