In the next two weeks, Operation Warp Speed estimates 3,000 to 6,000 pharmacies could begin giving COVID-19 vaccines, a senior HHS official told Politico.
HHS has decided to accelerate its partnership with retail pharmacy chains to administer COVID-19 vaccines in light of a slower-than-expected rollout of the vaccines so far, according to The Hill.
Several thousand pharmacies are to start receiving shipments of vaccines in the upcoming weeks. In the next few days, HHS officials plan to make recommendations on which two or three pharmacy chains per jurisdiction should start receiving shipments, though that decision is ultimately up to the states, according to Politico.
"This partnership allows states to allocate vaccines directly to these partners, and these partners can then administer vaccines to particular groups like those over a certain age or in certain occupations, and eventually to the general public," HHS secretary Alex Azar told The Hill.
"It would be much better to move quickly and end up vaccinating some lower priority people than to let vaccines sit around while states try to micromanage this process. Faster administration could save lives right now, which means we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good," he added.
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