Big Y Pharmacies to Provide Free COVID-19 Vaccines When Approved and Available

SPRINGFIELD — In partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), all 33 Big Y Pharmacy and Wellness Centers are preparing to administer COVID-19 vaccines once approved and available for distribution.

This partnership is being established in anticipation that one or more COVID-19 vaccines will be authorized and approved for use in the U.S. as part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Strategy for COVID-19. This initiative by the HHS with pharmacies across the U.S. is part of the federal pharmacy program aimed to further increase access to the vaccines. The partnership has deemed pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy interns in retail and grocery stores as being crucial public-health partners for increasing convenient access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Big Y’s pharmacy team currently provides seasonal flu and other routine vaccines. They plan to participate in any additional training to ensure the safe administration of the vaccine along with educating their customers about the process.

“We are proud to partner with the United States government in order to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to our customers,” said Charles D’Amour, Big Y president and CEO. “When a vaccine is available, our pharmacy teams will be ready to administer them as per CDC guidelines.”