COVID-19 Vaccines Will Be Available At Ralphs Pharmacies Across Southland
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Ralphs will provide access to the FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine at their Southland pharmacies when it becomes available in California, the company announced Wednesday.
However, it was not immediately clear when the vaccine would be available at the pharmacies.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County health officials said the initial allocation of roughly 84,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses would be available as early as next week, with initial priority given to health care workers.
"Because there's not sufficient supply, vaccine eligibility will be determined by phases of prioritization that have been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ... as well as guidance that's developed by the California Department of Public Health," county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors. "Local planning is essential to assist in the implementation based on our current status and trends in transmission across this entire county."
In what is known as "Phase 1a" of the CDC-determined distribution plan, the county will distribute the initial wave of doses to acute-care hospitals, Ferrer said.
Ralphs officials said their effort would be conducted with the California Department of Public Health and the federal government.
"At Ralphs, we are committed to helping people live healthier lives. We have been diligent to do our part in the community to stop the spread of the virus by providing free drive-through COVID-19 testing," said Dr. Linh Lee, director of Pharmacy/Health & Wellness at Ralphs. "Affordable antibody testing is now available at all Ralphs pharmacies, and our team of health care professionals are actively preparing for the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine."
Ralphs has 77 pharmacies in the Southern California area.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)