US Lags Behind UK and Bahrain in Vaccinations... "Direct Vaccine Supply to Pharmacies"

Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator [Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The U.S. government has decided to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to 6,500 pharmacies nationwide starting next week.

Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, stated in a briefing on the 2nd (local time) that "starting from the 11th, 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be directly supplied to pharmacies nationwide," according to reports by the Financial Times and Bloomberg News.

The U.S. government plans to increase the number of participating pharmacies to 40,000, beginning with the supply of 1 million doses next week. Pharmacies in vulnerable areas will be prioritized for initial distribution.

This measure aims to accelerate the vaccination pace. The Financial Times reported that the vaccination rate in the U.S. is slower than that of Israel, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, and the UAE.

Coordinator Zients explained, "The majority of Americans live within 5 miles (approximately 8 km) of a pharmacy," adding, "The number of places where people can get vaccinated in local communities will increase."

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