Major pharmacy chains are gearing up to administer COVID-19 booster shots, following the Biden administration's OK last week.
CVS Health said in a statement that it has provided more than 30 million vaccines across the country to date, and will "immediately began offering third doses to immunocompromised individuals when authorized to do so."
"As we await further guidance and approval from regulatory agencies, we’re fully prepared to play a leading role in providing booster shots this fall," CVS said.
The White House said it would authorize booster vaccinations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccinations beginning Sept. 20, advising vaccinated people to get the third shot about eight months after their second dose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said data suggests that while these vaccines remain effective at preventing severe COVID-19 infections and hospitalization, there are signs of waning effectiveness at preventing infections in general, especially as the delta variant spreads.
“While vaccines are working well, we are seeing concerning evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness over time against the delta variant,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said last week.
Walgreens echoed CVS in a statement, saying it is well-positioned to administer boosters based on its experience to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
"As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to follow guidance from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to administer vaccines to eligible populations and feel confident we have the pharmacy expertise, infrastructure and local community presence to accelerate access to these vaccinations," the pharmacy chain said.
Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and others have already begun to administer booster shots to immunocompromised people per guidance from the administration.