On December 11 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older. The emergency use authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S.
“The FDA’s EUA for COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D.
“Today’s action follows an open and transparent review process that included input from independent scientific and public health experts and a thorough evaluation by the agency’s career scientists to ensure this vaccine met FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization. The tireless work to develop a new vaccine to prevent this novel, serious, and life-threatening disease in an expedited timeframe after its emergence is a true testament to scientific innovation and public-private collaboration worldwide.”
Walgreens Statement On EUA For COVID-19 Vaccine
After the news came out, Walgreens announced that they will be collaborating with nearly 35,000 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities nationwide that have selected Walgreens as their vaccine provider.
“Our purpose – to champion the health and wellbeing of every community in America – has never been more clear or critical,” said John Standley, Walgreens president. “Walgreens pharmacists have been supporting communities every step of the way throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and will play an important role in the administration of vaccines to high-priority groups, as well as the general public, once available.”
Walmart Statement
Walmart pharmacists give millions of shots a year, and they are trained under strict, up-to-date guidelines to be able to administer vaccines.
- Preparing our 5000+ Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies to receive the vaccine doses, including making sure we have freezers in all our pharmacies, as well as dry ice to handle any requirements for storing the vaccine
- Entering into agreements with states to be able to support vaccinations where needed, whether that is in our pharmacies or long-term care facilities where the states determine they need our help
- Putting in place processes to inform people of when to receive the first and second doses and to report successful vaccinations
- Educating our associates about the vaccine, so when they are determined to be eligible, they will understand and be ready to receive the vaccine if they choose
“With 90% of the American population living within 10 miles of a Walmart, we will play an important part in making sure those who want a vaccine can get one when they are eligible based on their state’s prioritization, especially those in hard to reach parts of the country that have recently been hit hard by the epidemic,” – the company reported.
CVS Health Reaction
“CVS Health has had a long history of responding to crises across the country and being able to mobilize our resources quickly, whether or not it’s a hurricane or an earthquake, and ensuring that we had services available. But with the pandemic, what we did, was build upon that skills of enterprise response and resiliency and bring together the individuals from Aetna, from our retail organization, as well as Caremark.
And we met on a frequent basis, by business unit, to really talk about what we’re seeing, what we’re hearing from patients, what we’re hearing from customers and then bring that together in a consolidated way and make very quick decisions,” – was reported in the press-relies.
“As leaders, it’s about navigating through a time of uncertainty, and this is an incredibly uncertain time. What part of the corporate leader responds, above and beyond, what we all have been doing in creating the support needed for business continuity, if we’re talking specifically around COVID vaccination efforts, it’s ensuring that you have visibility into that prioritization. You have an ability to prioritize your populations according to federal and state guidance and encourage those individuals,” – said Sree Chaguturu, MD is Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark.
