A top Oregon official told state legislators Wednesday that the number of pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccinations is about to dramatically increase, with Bi-Mart stores in the state possibly starting to offer coronavirus inoculations by Thursday and Walmart stores by Saturday or Sunday.
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said 15,400 of the 34,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that the state has already received are headed to pharmacies run by the two chains.
“Bi-Mart should start being able to administer those doses really soon, potentially as soon as tomorrow,” Allen told a state House COVID-19 subcommittee. “Walmart needed a little longer to get set up and it should be over the coming weekend.”
The Oregonian/OregonLive reached out to both companies to confirm, but was not able to immediately reach company representatives.
Allen said pharmacies will become of vital importance in delivering vaccines to Oregonians.
“That’s a channel that has been used a little so far, to the tune of about 12,000 doses a week,” Allen said. “That number is going to start skyrocketing, as is the number of pharmacies involved.”
Allen said a little more than 130 pharmacies across the state are delivering shots to the arms of Oregonians now. He said there are close to 600 pharmacies statewide, on “every corner,” and their proximity within communities across the state will prove to be a major benefit.
Oregon pharmacies that are currently administering doses are Albertsons, Safeway, Costco, Walgreens and Health Mart. The website vaccinefinder.org shows participating pharmacies.
Allen didn’t list numbers of Bi-Marts and Walmarts that will be inoculating Oregonians. There are approximately 60 Bi-Mart stores and 45 Walmart stores in Oregon, although the companies’ websites didn’t make clear if each store had a pharmacy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the Johnson & Johnson vaccine emergency use authorization last Saturday. A trial estimated the vaccine’s efficacy at 72% in the United States with its one-dose regimen. Vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are estimated at close to 95% efficacy after two doses.
But Allen stressed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can’t be compared “head to head” with Pfizer and Moderna because their trials were held at a time when the South African variant played no role in the United States. A trial held later for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in South Africa showed it was effective at reducing hospitalizations and death. The vaccine had a 64% efficacy in South Africa.
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-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee
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