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A worker at a CVS in Eastchester, New York, checks in a person with an appointment to receive the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on February 12.
A worker at a CVS in Eastchester, New York, checks in a person with an appointment to receive the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on February 12. Gabriela Bhaskar/Bloomberg/Getty Images

CVS is now providing Covid-19 vaccinations through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program in 29 states and Puerto Rico, the pharmacy chain said in a press release Thursday. 

This is nearly double the 17 states where CVS was previously offering vaccinations. 

 “We’re increasing the number of active stores and expanding to additional states as fast as supply allows,” said Karen S. Lynch, President and Chief Executive Officer, CVS Health in the statement. 

Appointments in the newly activated states and jurisdictions will start to become available for booking on Saturday, March 13, CVS said. 

CVS now offers vaccinations in nearly 1,200 stores in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.  

Not every CVS location in these states will be offering vaccinations, and eligibility requirements in each jurisdiction still apply. 

The Biden administration announced last week that Federal Retail Pharmacy Program participants would prioritize teachers and child care workers. 

“From March 3 to March 10, this population accounted for more than 30 percent of COVID-19 vaccine appointments at CVS Pharmacy locations,” according to CVS’ statement. 

source: cnn.com