CVS Health Embraces mRNA Vaccines

CNBC reported late on August 4, 2021, that the Rhode Island-based pharmacy and health clinic chain CVS Health confirmed it changed its COVID-19 vaccine offering.

CVS Health confirmed it would discontinue offering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen in its USA-based pharmacies. However, the single-dose COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen vaccines will be at its retail MinuteClinics locations, the company told CNBC.

An online listing on MinuteClinics is available at this CVS.com weblink. 

The U.S. CDC reported on August 3, 2021, about 13 million doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen have been administered in the USA during 2021.

This COVID-19 vaccine includes the following ingredients: recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus type 26 expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, citric acid monohydrate, trisodium citrate dihydrate, ethanol, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, polysorbate-80, sodium chloride.

According to CVS Health's website, 'At this time, our CVS Pharmacy locations that are currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine have either the (mRNA) based Moderna (SpikeVax) and Pfizer vaccines, or the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine – not more than one type at this time. Patients can see which CVS Pharmacy location has which vaccine and appointment availability on CVS.com before scheduling, which is recommended especially when looking for an appointment for children ages 12–15 that require the Pfizer vaccine.'

'Our online scheduling tool will only display appointments at locations that have the Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) vaccine once the patient’s age is provided.'

On August 4, 2021, CVS Health announced its current financial results. The company administered nearly 17 million COVID-19 vaccines nationwide in the second quarter of 2021.

Woonsocket-based CVS Health is a leading health solutions company, delivering care in ways no one else can. 'We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels, and our nearly 300,000 dedicated colleagues – including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners,' says the company.

Note: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published updated information on August 2, 2021, regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen. There is no FDA-Approved vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The FDA has authorized the emergency use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). And, the European Medicines Agency's current information is found at this weblink.