SAN ANTONIO — Thousands of coronavirus vaccines are slated to rollout at 70 Texas pharmacies later this week as part of a federal initiative to vaccinate vulnerable populations.
The Federal Retail Pharmacy program is a partnership with 11 state governments to distribute 1 million doses per week to 6,500 retail pharmacies across the U.S.
Texas’ initial allotment will be more than 80,000 doses as part of the federal program.
Hector Ramos, 75, longs for the day when he can finally nail down an appointment for that coronavirus vaccine. It’s been quite the struggle. That’s where Ramos takes to doing yard work to clear his mind.
“I take out my frustration doing this,” Ramos said while showing the hole where he pulled out a tree.
Ramos noted he’s exhausted all his options, going online and calling pharmacies, medical clinics and mass vaccination sites.
CVS Health is among the major companies slated to begin rollout of the vaccine this week as part of the federal retail pharmacy program. CVS registration opens Thursday, and vaccinations are slated to begin on Friday.
“I feel, feel good that I’m safe but I’d be safer if I had the vaccine,” Ramos said.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has been instrumental in coordinating with the federal government to ensure the distribution runs as smooth as possible.
“Right now, we’re encouraging people to go onto our website and there you can find a provider availability map. It’s really cool, really interactive, plug in your address and the map itself will zoom in on the vaccine providers that are in your local area,” said Douglas Loveday, spokesperson with the Texas Department of Health Department.
Registration can be accessed through CVS.com or the CVS app.
People are also encouraged to call customer service at 1-800-746-7287 instead of calling the individual pharmacies.
The CDC recommends people to visit other pharmacy websites for more registration information.