President Biden has instructed pharmacies to offer Covid-19 vaccines to Americans without prior appointments for a more convenient vaccination process. In his speech on Tuesday, he issued directives to almost 40,000 pharmacies that get vaccine doses via an agreement with the federal government. These directives included public pharmacies and independent chains like CVS to start administering on-the-spot vaccines.
Moreover, Biden is also urging state-run clinics to offer vaccinations without appointments, even though state governors have the authority to set policies according to their will. To ensure a more equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, the federal government is aiming to open additional vaccination sites in hard-to-reach areas, remarked the President.
In addition, he also acknowledged that the number of Covid-19 vaccines being administered each day has fallen over the past few weeks since the “majority of American adults have already gotten their first shot.” Therefore, the introduction of rapid walk-in vaccinations and smaller clinics would help rectify the decreasing numbers; people who are hesitant to get the jab can be reached easily.
Even before President Biden made this declaration on Tuesday, many small clinics an pharmacies had already started offering Covid-19 vaccines to residents on short notice. Renowned chains such as CVS and Walgreens are now giving out same-day appointments whereas Rite Aid has given Americans the privilege to walk in and get vaccinated on a “limited basis.”
Several local health clinics have also offered residents to get a shot in the specified walk-in hours. This new shift is a direct result of decreased demand- clinics had faced numerous problems in keeping up with demand for vaccination shots at the start of the year. However, now that many vaccination sites have been closed down, the clinics have started to operate again.
Over two weeks, there has been a sharp decline in the adult vaccination rate. President Biden hopes to increase this rate soon by making Covid-19 vaccines more accessible and convenient for the hesitant lot. By July 4, he aims to have at least 70% of Americans who have taken their first shot for a safer tomorrow.
