President Biden announced his comprehensive National Strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The President announced that starting next week, the first phase of the federal pharmacy program will launch and select pharmacies nationwide will start offering vaccinations for their communities. These new steps will help meet the President’s goal of administering 100 million shots in 100 days and expand access to vaccines to more Americans in the coming weeks.
- Expanding Vaccine Supply: The Biden Administration will increase overall weekly vaccine supply to states, Tribes, and territories to 10.5 million doses nationwide beginning this week, a 22% increase since taking office on January 20.
- Launching First Phase of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination: Starting on February 11, those eligible for the vaccine will have the opportunity to be vaccinated at select pharmacies across the country through this program, a public-private partnership with 21 national pharmacy partners and networks of independent pharmacies representing more than 40,000 pharmacy locations nationwide. As the first phase of this program launches, select retail pharmacies nationwide will receive limited vaccine supply to vaccinate priority groups at no cost. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked with states to select initial pharmacy partners based on several factors including their ability to reach some of the populations most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19. More information is available at cdc.gov/covid19.
- Increasing Reimbursements to States: President Biden already directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fully reimburse states for the cost of National Guard Personnel and emergency costs, will also retroactively reimburse states fully for FEMA-eligible services and is requesting $350 billion from Congress in American Rescue Plan.