Federal Retail Pharmacy Program To Begin Vaccinations In Missouri Friday

The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccine administration begins in Missouri on Friday.

The federal government has selected 102 retail pharmacies to “efficiently make the vaccine available to any eligible Missourian.”

Locally, vaccinations will be available at the Cuba, Potosi, Rolla and Salem locations.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with our federal partners and provide an additional avenue for Missourians to receive a COVID-19 vaccine,” Governor Mike Parson said. “This partnership will be a great help in expanding vaccine access and getting more doses into arms as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, 81 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacy locations will begin receiving vaccines from a federal allocation beginning Friday.

The allocation is not part of the state’s weekly allocation of vaccine doses.

In addition, 21 Health Mart independent pharmacies across Missouri will soon begin receiving and administering vaccinations. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the federal program is being implemented on an incremental basis based on the available supply.

As vaccine availability increases over time, the program will expand to include all 40,000 pharmacies across the nation.

“We are grateful to soon begin seeing these additional doses from our federal partners available to Missourians,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). “In conversations with the White House and our federal partners, these pharmacies were selected by them in the designated areas because of their accessibility for many Missouri communities and the trust pharmacies have built with their patients.”

Separate from the State’s limited weekly allotment, the 102 Missouri retail pharmacies are scheduled to receive a total of more than 18,000 doses per week. Eligible customers can schedule a vaccine appointment via the Walmart and Sam’s Club websites once appointments are available, making it convenient to get vaccinated while allocation lasts. 

To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines in Missouri, visit MOStopsCovid.com.