DENVER (KDVR) — As the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines begin Saturday, “Operation Warp Speed” is providing a new timeline for when we may see these vaccines at pharmacies across the nation.
“We think as early as about three weeks from now we can be delivering vaccines to all providers as directed by the states,” Operation Warp Speed Chief Operating Officer General Gus Perna said adding, “For example, to the local pharmacies as they would like.”
Officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) say the state is prepared to move as fast as the supply chain allows.
FOX31 Problem Solvers are looking into the reality of these dates locally.
“I’ll be honest they have been kind of talking about it all week,” Safeway’s Director of Pharmacy Operations Nikki Price said. “We do feel ready to have it in three weeks. To be honest, we were ready to have it this week.”
Price says county health departments will give each pharmacy location a green light. Current plans are that 20 Safeway locations across the state will first start administering vaccines on phase 1b of CDPHE’s latest timeline.
“Your dentist, your home health workers, your respiratory care therapists, our pharmacists and technicians as well as your first responders,” Price said adding, “That’s going to be where a lot of our concentration is and we are working directly with each county health department with that.”
Price says eventually all Colorado Safeways will have the vaccines.
“It could be that we may have it in all our locations as early as February,” she said.
Problem Solvers asked Walgreens and King Soopers about preparations as well. Both companies perviously told FOX31 they plan to administer the vaccine.
We received the following statement from King Soopers:
“King Soopers and City Market are committed to providing accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccine through partnership with the state health department and federal government. With 147 pharmacies throughout Colorado, King Soopers and City Market’s presence in local communities provides the unique ability to efficiently administer the vaccine to a large portion of the population.
Details are coming together quickly and the situation is fluid, but what I can tell you is that we intend to be ready to administer the vaccine as soon as it is available to our pharmacies. We are committed to helping people live healthier lives and will continue to work with our partners to finalize plans on how we will administer the vaccine at our pharmacy locations across the state.”