Following the recent White House announcement regarding the launch of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccine administration, Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services has learned that federal partners have selected 102 retail pharmacies to join Missouri in the effort to efficiently make vaccine available to any eligible Missourian.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with our federal partners and provide an additional avenue for Missourians to receive a COVID-19 vaccine,” Governor Mike Parson said. “This partnership will be a great help in expanding vaccine access and getting more doses into arms as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Eighty-one Walmart and Sam’s Club Pharmacy locations will begin receiving vaccines from a federal allocation (not out of the state’s weekly allocation), and vaccinations will begin Friday, February 12 at participating locations in Missouri. Additionally, 21 Health Mart independent pharmacies across Missouri will also soon begin receiving and administering vaccinations in the future. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal program is being implemented incrementally based on the available vaccine supply, with select retail pharmacy locations providing COVID-19 vaccine to eligible individuals. As vaccine availability increases over time, the program will expand to ultimately include all 40,000+ pharmacies across the nation.
“We are grateful to soon begin seeing these additional doses from our federal partners available to Missourians,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). “In conversations with the White House and our federal partners, these pharmacies were selected by them in the designated areas because of their accessibility for many Missouri communities and the trust pharmacies have built with their patients.”
Separate from the State’s limited weekly allotment, the 102 Missouri retail pharmacies are scheduled to receive a total of more than 18,000 doses per week. Eligible customers can schedule a vaccine appointment via the Walmart and Sam’s Club websites once appointments are available, making it convenient to get vaccinated while allocation lasts.
To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines in Missouri, visit MOStopsCovid.com.
