U.S. drugstore chains are making a massive push for flu remedies when the season hits off in October, hoping to curb tens of thousands of hard cases that could match with the second wave of coronavirus diseases.
CVS Health Corp (CVS.N), one of the most comprehensive U.S. drugstores, stated it is going to secure vaccine doses that are ready for an anticipated surge in consumers seeking shots to defend against seasonal influenza.
Rival chain Rite Aid Corp (RAD.N) has bought 40 percent more vaccine doses to meet the anticipated demand. Walmart Inc (WMT.N) and Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA.O) also expect more Americans to seek these shots.
The Pharmacy Case
Drugmakers are ramping up to meet the need. Australian vaccine maker CSL Ltd’s (CSL.AX) Seqirus stated demand from clients has grown by 10 percent. British-based GlaxoSmithKline (GLAX.NS) said it is ready to increase manufacturing as required.
Pharmacy parts rose in Tuesday trading, with CVS up 2.5% and Rite Aid and Walgreens up 4.5% preparing for the second wave of coronavirus .
A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 4,428 adults conducted May 13-19 discovered that about 60 percent of U.S. adults plan to get the flu vaccine in the fall. Typically more scattered than half of Americans get treated. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests the vaccine for everyone over age six months.
Getting a flu shot does not defend against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus for which there are no licensed vaccines. Public health leaders have maintained vaccination against the flu will be essential to support clinics from becoming overwhelmed with flu and COVID-19 patients.
The Vaccination Case
“We’re in for a double-barreled assault this fall and winter with flu and COVID. Flu is the one you can do something about,” Vanderbilt University Medical Center infectious disorder expert Dr. William Schaffner stated.
Drugmakers last year provided nearly 170 million doses of influenza vaccine, according to the CDC. The CDC expects about up to 740,000 hospitalizations and 62,000 deaths in the 2019-2020 flu season that ended last month.
While health coverage typically includes the flu shot at a doctor’s office and other groups give free flu vaccine clinics, the adult vaccine distributes for about $40.
According to Wall Street firm Bernstein, global resources for disease vaccines are about $5 billion. In the United States, each added one percentage point of Americans getting the vaccine is worth $75 million in revenues to drugmakers.
CDC Director Robert Redfield has announced that flu and the second wave of coronavirus connected could take a significant toll on Americans than the initial coronavirus disorder that began this winter.
Improved Situation
Some experts said primary ways must be improved to guarantee that people are vaccinated on flu because sufferers may be less likely to see their physicians in person out of fear of getting affected by the coronavirus in medical offices.
Pharmacies, public health clinics, and other flu shot providers may need to develop drive-up clinics – popular with COVID-19 diagnostic tests – for flu vaccines, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. In a survey commissioned by CVS Health between January and May, customers who stated they would positively or are likely to get a flu shot rose from 34 to 65 percent. They also said they would usually go to physics and less often to doctors or healthcare centers.
