Walgreens had been scheduling customers’ Pfizer doses 28 days apart instead of the CDC-recommended 21 days. Experts weigh in on the impacts on vaccine effectiveness.
“I know it’s caused some confusion that we offer both vaccines at 28 days, so at four weeks.” said Walgreens chief medical officer Dr. Kevin Ban this morning on the CBS 58 Morning News. “As soon as the end of this week, for the Pfizer vaccine, you’re going to be able to schedule that second dose three weeks later.”
Dr. Ban reiterated that, even at 28 days between doses, it is in the CDC’s allowable range and does not change the efficacy or safety of the vaccination.
The Moderna vaccine remains at 28 days minimum between doses.
Dr. Ban also addressed some confusion on whether you need a government-issued ID when getting your vaccine:
“We ask for an ID just to confirm you are the person who is signed up for the vaccine.” Dr. Ban said this morning. “But if you do not have that document or you don’t have an ID, we will go ahead and administer the vaccine. So, we’re completely in line with that.”
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to grow across the country.
Since the beginning of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP) in February, Walgreens says it has administered millions of vaccinations throughout the nation.
Now, the company is ready to provide shots across its more than 9,000 store locations.
“Two weeks ago, we were getting around a million vaccine per week. That number has more than doubled.” said Dr. Ban. “That’s going to make availability easier. We offer vaccines on a rolling basis. So people should go to our website and check to see if that vaccine is available.”
Chief medical officer Dr. Kevin Ban joined CBS 58 to share the latest information on availability and distribution.
Walgreens said that in addition to its online scheduler, appointments can be booked by calling 1-800-Walgreens (1-800-925-4733) or they can be made in stores or by calling a local Walgreens individually.
