Walmart will provide COVID-19 vaccinations in seven more states, besides Chicago and Puerto Rico, this week and next, according to Reuters. The shots will be availed to specified populations decided by each state in only a handful of stores.
- Walmart’s move comes as U.S President Joe Biden races to accelerate a vaccination campaign that has stranded about half of 38 million shots in freezers.
- Walmart is already vaccinating healthcare workers in New Mexico and its home state of Arkansas.
- State heads, including Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, have pledged to partner with Walmart for vaccine doses.
- The entry of corporate institutions in vaccination programs reflects the Trump administration’s request for vaccine planning by states.
- Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, and Rite Aid have also stepped up vaccinations in what is believed to be the largest and most complex immunization effort in the U.S.
Walmart stock is currently gaining. WMT: NYSE is up 0.81%
