Walmart is preparing to deliver 10 to 13 million vaccine doses per month when supply and allocations allow. To do this, Walmart is training thousands of its pharmacists and pharmacy techs, building a new digital scheduling tool to make appointments easy, and partnering with state and federal agencies as the company awaits allocations.
This move comes as President Biden ramps up vaccination plans. As of yesterday, Biden raised the daily vaccination target to 1.5 million a day, a 50 percent increase from his initial target.
“Walmart and Sam’s Club operate more than 5,000 pharmacies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, many of which serve underserved communities and the heart of rural America,” said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president, health & wellness at Walmart, in a statement. “With 150 million people passing through our doors each week, we’re in a unique position to reach people where they already shop. We’re also a federal pharmacy partner and can accept federal allocation of doses in all our Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies.”
Pegus continued, “We’re doing everything we can to help ensure the health and well-being of our associates and customers during the pandemic. That includes keeping everyone updated and informed. We’re educating essential workers and all associates on getting the vaccine as soon as they are eligible. We are strongly encouraging all associates to get vaccinated but are not mandating anyone receive the vaccine nor are we providing incentives at this time.”
Related: Walmart Pilots Smart Box Delivery; Walmart, Albertsons Administer Vaccine.