CVS offers vaccinations at some Virginia pharmacies


Residents of the Clarksville and South Boston areas may soon have access to COVID-19 vaccinations through local CVS Pharmacies.

With federal expansion of the vaccination program to a growing number of providers, Amy Thibault, senior manager of corporate communications with CVS Health, said the drug chain expects to sign up customers for shots throughout Virginia and elsewhere.

“We are expecting to add additional vaccination locations in Virginia soon — including at CVS locations in Clarksville and South Boston — although the timeline has not been finalized. We are waiting to ensure we receive vaccine before doing so,” said Thibault.

She did not say if the vaccine, once offered, will be the Moderna or the PfizerNTech versions, both of which have been approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Thibault was unable to offer any information on when vaccines might be offered at CVS Pharmacies in Chase City and South Hill.

Local employees of CVS who spoke on the condition of anonymity said vaccinations could begin as early as this week. They encouraged anyone interested in getting the vaccine to begin checking the CVS.com website as early as Wednesday to schedule an appointment.

Thibault said the CVS website would have the most up-to-date information about the pharmacy’s vaccination program and vaccination sites. She also asked that people “not call their local pharmacy” since all appointments must be made on CVS.com or via the CVS app.

Even when the vaccination sites open, the only people who will immediately qualify for the shots are those in Virginia groups 1a and 1b. Group 1b covers Virginians who are 65 and older, educators and other frontline essential workers — police, firefighters, EMS, corrections and homeless shelter workers, food and agriculture workers including veterinarians, mail carriers, and workers in manufacturing, grocery stores and public transit. Group 1b also includes officials needed to maintain continuity of government (including judges and public-facing judicial workers) and Virginia residents ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions. Group 1a consists of front-line health care providers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

Anyone interested in receiving the shots must sign up using the CVS.com website. Available slots fill up quickly as vaccine distribution continues to lag behind demand.

“When we receive additional vaccine doses, we will make more appointments available on the website,” Thibault said.

If a person doesn’t have access to the internet, they can call 1-800-SHOP-CVS for assistance.

The Clarksville CVS is located at 24 Gateway Lane, at the intersection of Highway 58 and Business 58 and the South Boston CVS is found at 3231 Halifax Road.

There is no timeline yet for when Virginia will open its next round of vaccinations for individuals in phase 1c — which includes a long list of other frontline essential workers in the food service, mass transportation, higher education, the media, and other industries. It’s also not yet clear when the general public will be eligible to receive the vaccine.

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