BATON ROUGE - CVS Health announced Monday (Dec. 21) the official launch of its COVID-19 vaccination program for long-term care facilities.

To kick off the effort, CVS Pharmacy teams will administer the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in facilities across 12 states (Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Vermont) during the week of Dec. 21. After this and in the 11 weeks to follow, the company expects to vaccinate up to four million residents and staff at over 40,000 long-term care facilities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

“Today’s rollout is the culmination of months of internal planning and demonstrates how the private sector can use its expertise to help solve some of our most critical challenges,” said Larry J. Merlo, President and Chief Executive Officer, CVS Health. “I’m grateful for the herculean efforts of everyone involved, including our health care professionals who will be deployed throughout the country to bring peace of mind to long-term care facility residents, staff, and their loved ones.”

CVS Pharmacy teams will make three visits to each long-term care facility to ensure residents and staff receive their initial shot and critical booster. The majority of residents and staff will be fully vaccinated three to four weeks after the first visit, depending on which vaccine they receive.

The company says the long-term care facility vaccination effort is a precursor to the eventual availability of COVID-19 vaccines at all of its Pharmacy locations throughout the country subject to product availability and prioritization of populations, which will be determined by each state individually.

The company says vaccines in a retail setting will be offered on an appointment-only basis via CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app, and there will be a dedicated 800 number for people without online access.

CVS Pharmacy expects to have the capacity to administer 20 – 25 million shots per month.

“Vaccinating one of our most vulnerable populations is the latest milestone in our multifaceted pandemic response, which includes testing more than 10 million people for the virus since March,” stated Karen S. Lynch, currently Executive Vice President, CVS Health and President, Aetna, who will become the company's next President and CEO on February 1.

“The eventual 2 Proprietary availability of COVID-19 vaccines in communities across the country will bring us one step closer to overcoming the most significant health challenge of our lifetime.”

Please click here for additional information on the company's vaccination efforts.