The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released its Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination partners, and Hy-Vee has been named a national partner in both Iowa and South Dakota.
The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program is a collaboration between the federal government and 21 national pharmacy partners as well as independent pharmacy networks to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccines across the U.S. The program is incrementally being implemented based on the available vaccine supply.
Starting the week of Feb. 8, Hy-Vee anticipates receiving vaccine allocations directly from the CDC to help vaccinate qualifying residents in Iowa and South Dakota per each state’s vaccination guidelines. There will be an extremely limited vaccine allocation to start, with more allocations expected in the upcoming weeks.
“We have the infrastructure and resources in place to serve communities throughout our eight-state region as soon as we receive additional vaccines,” said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman, CEO and president. “Through our preparation efforts, we have the ability to start vaccinating eligible populations less than 24 hours after receiving allocations. The issue to date has been demand far exceeding supply, and we believe this partnership helps strengthen our advocacy efforts to receive more of the vaccine.”
Vaccine inventory is still limited and available to eligible individuals by appointment only at select Hy-Vee Pharmacy locations. Once vaccines become available, appointments can be made through Hy-Vee’s online scheduler at hy-vee.com/my-pharmacy/covid-vaccine-consent.
The selected pharmacy locations are not providing vaccinations on a walk-in basis at this time. Hy-Vee will also prioritize those who are due for second doses of the vaccine.
For information on the CDC’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, visit cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/index.html.
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 275 retail stores across eight Midwestern states, including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The chain’s sales total to $11 billion annually.
