Walgreens Braces for Record Flu-Shot Season as Covid Amps Demand
Walgreens Braces for Record Flu-Shot Season as Covid Amps Demand
(Bloomberg) -- Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. is bracing for a surge in demand for flu shots this season as pharmacies and health officials urge people to get vaccinated amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The chain expects to administer up to 50% more flu shots than usual, Rina Shah, group vice president of Walgreens pharmacy operations, said in an interview. While Walgreens didn’t say how many total it anticipates, CVS Health Corp. said this month that it expects to vaccinate up to 18 million people. All of Walgreens’ nearly 9,100 U.S. pharmacies are now offering the shots, the company said Monday.
The popularity of flu shots was already on the rise before the pandemic hit, with 175 million shots produced last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost two-thirds of children were vaccinated in the 2018-19 flu season, up from 51% in the 2010-11 season. For adults, about 45% got shots in 2018-19, up from 40% in 2010-11. The flu season runs from October to April.
Demand is expected to increase further as vigilance has improved with the novel coronavirus and warnings by public-health officials of the dangers of a collision of the two diseases. The CDC estimates the flu hospitalized as many as 740,000 people in the most recent season and killed between 24,000 and 62,000. The CDC has said that it believes flu testing rose last season because of the pandemic, and final data on the season isn’t yet available.
Vaccination offers the best protection against the flu, and therefore against overwhelming hospital systems.
“It’s one step we can take to protect ourselves, and especially before cough and cold season really picks up, I think there’s just a sense of anxiety if you don’t get your vaccination there will be confusion if you have Covid and this is just one step to mitigate that risk,” Shah said.
The CDC recommends people receive a flu shot by the end of October, ideally sometime in September or October, so the vaccine can start working before flu activity typically picks up but not too early that it wears off before the season ends.
Walgreens will administer vaccines indoors because of concerns including bad weather, Shah said. It offers Covid-19 testing outdoors though, and the company is open to pivoting if needed.
Masks and Shields
Safety measures include encouraging people to schedule an appointment online and fill out their paperwork early to reduce crowds. Most stores have a separate room for the shots and employees will wear face shields in addition to a mask, she said. People receiving a flu shot will also be required to wear a mask and have their temperatures taken.
Even so, walk-in appointments are available, which might over-crowd waiting areas. Pharmacists and cashiers are trained to space people out and ensure they’re six feet apart, Shah said.
“That’s probably the benefit of being a pharmacy,” she said. “We manage workflow on a continual basis.”
Walgreens is in “constant communication” with the Trump administration about plans to administer a Covid-19 vaccine when one is available, Shah said.
“Vaccinations are definitely within our wheelhouse,” she said. “It’s something we do all day every day for our patients and so when the vaccine is available, working with the CDC, HHS, and the government, just being able to support that is definitely something we will be wanting to play an active role in.”
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