CVS Health Completes First Round of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses at Skilled Nursing Facilities

Company's long-term care vaccination effort remains on track, with nearly two million doses administered to date

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Jan 25, 2021, 07:30 ET

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) has administered the first round of COVID-19 vaccine doses to nearly 8,000 skilled nursing facilities across the country, delivering on goals established early in the process and communicated to participating states and jurisdictions months ago.¹Administration of second doses is well underway and expected to be complete within four weeks.

"We've administered nearly two million shots to one of our most vulnerable populations through onsite and, in many cases, room-to-room visits," said 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. "Our dedicated health care professionals are reaching long-term care residents and staff as soon as possible based on activation dates selected by the states, while navigating the challenges of a complex rollout."

The federal pharmacy partnership program divided long-term care facilities into two categories: 1) skilled nursing, and 2) assisted living and other facilities. For the latter, first doses of COVID-19 vaccines are complete in several states that selected December activation dates including Arkansas, Hawaii, and New Mexico.1 As made clear by regularly updated data CVS Health makes publicly available, most states chose activation dates for assisted living and other facilities – meaning, when CVS Pharmacy teams could first visit – well into January:

January 4: Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
January 11: California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Vermont, Virginia
January 13: Tennessee
January 15: Alabama
January 18: Arizona, Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania (excluding Philadelphia, with a start date of January 25), Rhode Island
January 23: Maryland
January 25: Illinois (excluding Chicago, with a start date of December 28, 2020), Wisconsin

First doses at all long-term care facilities that selected CVS Health to provide COVID-19 vaccinations – more than 40,000 in total – will be complete by mid-February, meaning the company is on schedule based on program parameters. Importantly, doses administered as a percentage of vaccines allocated by states is not an accurate way to determine progress. Allocations were based on long-term care facility bed counts multiplied by two to account for staff, but at most facilities occupancy is far less than bed count and staff uptake remains low.

Critical Role of Retail Pharmacies in Next Phase

Through a federal partnership, COVID-19 vaccines will eventually be available at CVS Pharmacy locations across the country subject to product availability and prioritization of populations. Several locations in Indiana, Massachusetts, and New York are currently offering vaccines to certain age groups, with more states to follow in advance of the federal program being activated. Criteria for vaccination at these locations are defined by the states, and supply comes from state allocations. Vaccines in a retail setting will be offered on an appointment-only basis via CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app, and people without online access can contact customer service.

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

"Our impact at retail will be significant given our presence in communities across the country and more than 90,000 pharmacists, licensed pharmacy technicians, and nurses who will proudly take part in the vaccination effort," Lynch continued.

Multimedia assets, including b-roll and still photography, are available here. More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the pandemic is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center.

About CVS Health
CVS Health is a different kind of health care company. We are a diversified health services company with nearly 300,000 employees united around a common purpose of helping people on their path to better health. In an increasingly connected and digital world, we are meeting people wherever they are and changing health care to meet their needs. Built on a foundation of unmatched community presence, our diversified model engages one in three Americans each year. From our innovative new services at HealthHUB® locations, to transformative programs that help manage chronic conditions, we are making health care more accessible, more affordable and simply better. Learn more about how we're transforming health at www.cvshealth.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of CVS Health Corporation. By their nature, all forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and/or quantify. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties described in our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the heading "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on CVS Health's forward looking statements. CVS Health's forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management's then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance, and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. CVS Health does not assume any duty to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, uncertainties or otherwise.

¹ Including visits scheduled for January 25; excludes 23 skilled nursing facilities (0.3 percent) and 1 – 2 percent of assisted living facilities across completed states that 1) requested a later date due to a COVID-19 outbreak or other reason, 2) were rescheduled due to lack of responsiveness, or 3) requested to be added to the program after the start date or did not meet original program criteria regarding distance from CVS Pharmacy locations, but CVS Health has opted to support.

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SOURCE CVS Health