ALEXANDRIA, Va. (July 16, 2021) — The National Community Pharmacists Association issued the following statement today by CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA marking an important milestone in the fight against the coronavirus, with pharmacists having delivered more than 100 million COVID-19 vaccines to Americans:
“The fight against COVID is a long way from over, but we are very proud of how pharmacists everywhere have answered the call. Community pharmacies have been critical to the success of the program so far. Pharmacists and their teams have administered over 100 million COVID-19 shots to Americans in all 50 states! Because of the involvement of community pharmacists, the vaccination rollout was faster and thousands of lives were saved. And in the darkest days of the pandemic, when almost every other health care provider was shut down, independent pharmacists were open, taking care of their patients.
“Pharmacists have been giving vaccinations for decades but prior to the pandemic, many consumers were still unfamiliar with the role pharmacists play as health care providers. In the last 18 months, community pharmacists have further proved themselves to be essential health care providers who save lives. Public health officials at every level have taken notice. We are looking forward to working with them to permanently expand the scope of pharmacy so we can defeat this virus and be ready for the next national health emergency.”
NOTE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figure of nearly 100 million doses includes only those doses administered under the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Thousands of pharmacies are participating in state programs for which similar figures are not available. The number of doses delivered by pharmacies is therefore higher than 100 million.
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Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for the community pharmacist, representing over 21,000 pharmacies that employ approximately 250,000 individuals nationwide. Community pharmacies are rooted in the communities where they are located and are among America’s most accessible health care providers. To learn more, visit www.ncpa.org.
