Support Pharmacy Infrastructure to Strengthen US COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts and Beyond

Recently, the Biden administration announced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccination to increase COVID-19 vaccine accessibility to local communities. Although pharmacies and pharmacists have already administered COVID-19 vaccines through state-initiated programs, this program sends COVID-19 vaccine supply directly to community pharmacies.1 The CDC states that as vaccine supply increases, the federal government plans to expand this program to include 40 000 pharmacies across the United States.1 Nine of 10 people live within five miles of a pharmacy, making pharmacies a natural and accessible point for vaccine administration.2 Providing COVID-19 vaccination at local community pharmacies can increase vaccine accessibility, especially in underserved areas, where health care clinics and hospitals are limited. Pharmacists and pharmacy staff have stood on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, carrying out vital medication-related services while performing COVID-19 testing, offering telehealth services, and vaccinating the public against the flu and other vaccine-preventable diseases. They are ready, willing, and able to protect public health by administering COVID-19 vaccinations.