North Carolinians can now get COVID-19 vaccine at some Walgreens

CHARLOTTE — COVID-19 vaccinations will be given at some Walgreens locations in North Carolina starting Friday.

Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris announced last week that 300 Walgreens across the state will administer COVID vaccines to the community. North Carolina is one of 15 states and jurisdictions where the pharmacy will expand its COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Senior Richard King lives one mile away from a Walgreens store on Freedom Drive in west Charlotte. He told Channel 9 he’s excited about the possibility of getting his vaccine so close to home.

“I think it will be a good thing if it helps the health department out and save a lot of time going somewhere else,” King said. “I’m ready when my time comes.”

Channel 9 learned that 31,000 doses will be allocated from the CDC directly to Walgreens, meaning it will not impact the number of doses that local counties receive.

Harris did not say which Walgreens in our area will offer the shot, but said the program will help the county get the vaccine out more quickly.

“We don’t have the list of Walgreens at this point,” she said. “The vaccine is not a huge amount but it’s better than what we have been receiving so its an addition to the vaccine what the healthcare system and health department are receiving. That is good news for us in Mecklenburg County.”

Vaccinations will begin on Feb. 12 for those eligible, including healthcare workers, those 65 and older and those with pre-existing conditions. Walk-ins are not welcome. Patients must make an appointment online.

The pharmacy is also only doing vaccines by appointment. You can make an appointment and find out which location near you has a vaccine supply.

The program hopes to help people in medically underserved areas battle the virus. The selected locations are in areas with high “social vulnerability,” meaning they have high poverty, limited access to public transportation and crowded housing -- all factors that could make residents more vulnerable to contracting the virus.

“CDC and the states have been working together. It’s truly a collaboration. They’ve tried to identify areas that they think would be best served,” Senior Vice President of pharmacy care and patient advocacy of the National Association of Chain Drug Store Kathleen Jager said.

While the program is focused on 300 stores at this point, officials hope to include more stores as supplies increase. Currently, each store will only receive 100 doses.

”Walgreens was one of the first pharmacies to begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations in December to long-term care facility staff and residents, and we look forward to leveraging our experience to support the federal government and CDC in expanding access to these vaccines,” said John Standley, president, Walgreens.

Walgreens was picked by the CDC and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

In December, Walgreens announced plans to vaccinate 3,000,000 residents and staff members in nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country.

President Joe Biden’s administration told reporters Tuesday about a plan to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines.

More COVID-19 vaccines to be sent to pharmacies (NCD)

Cox Media Group