Beginning this Friday, 24 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in Maine will be able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a new federal retail pharmacy program.
Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew says she expects the pharmacies will receive a combined total of up to 4,800 doses.
“Separate from and on top of the allotment that states receive, with an emphasis on locations that reach customers in underserved communities,” she says.
Lambrew says eligible residents — currently those who are 70 and older — can begin scheduling appointments on Tuesday on Walmart and Sam’s Club’s websites.
“If the supply of vaccine allocated to that program were to expand, we might expand it to other pharmacy types or pharmacy chains,” says state CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah.
The doses allocated to the pharmacies are in addition to the weekly allotments Maine receives.
