Several CVS pharmacies in South Florida will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older this week. These are part of the federal government’s partnership with states.
In Miami-Dade County, that includes 31 Navarro Discount stores, 35 CVS y más locations and one traditional CVS store. Appointments will open this week.
In Broward and Palm Beach counties, appointments will be available at some CVS stores.
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Each site will aim to offer more than 100 shots a day, said Gov. Ron DeSantis at a Tuesday press conference at a Navarro Discount Pharmacy store in Hialeah.
“The retail pharmacies have been a key component of getting shots in the arms of seniors,” said DeSantis, adding that Palm Beach County has vaccinated a larger percentage of its 65 and older population because it’s had more than 60 Publix pharmacies offering vaccinations. “I think this is really, really significant in increasing those numbers in Dade very quickly.”
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In Florida, 52 counties out of 67 have a retail pharmacy option for a vaccine.
"We are very happy that we're going to have some federally supported sites, including one in Miami-Dade County," said DeSantis. "This is coming in with federal resources. We have to basically manage it at the state level, but they're going to put additional doses, above and beyond the state's allotment. These are tens of thousands of doses in a given week. So we're excited about that."
DeSantis also mentioned that some of the CVS pharmacies are in underserved neighborhoods.
"It is our responsibility and mission to make sure that vaccinations get distributed to those who need it most, to those who are most vulnerable," said Ahmed Valez, a regional director at CVS, CVS y más and Navarro Discount. "One of our greatest strengths as a company is our presence in the community."
According to Becker's Hospital Review, Florida ranks 23 out of all the states, ranked by the percentage of COVID-19 vaccines that have been administered, out of those distributed to them. You can find the state's latest vaccination report here.
