Sudbury CVS Picked For Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution

SUDBURY, MA — Eighteen CVS stores across Massachusetts, including one in Sudbury, will receive shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine as state officials seek to improve a so far difficult inoculation rollout.

CVS said Wednesday that the 18 stores will share about 21,600 doses. The stores getting a share are located in Boston, Braintree, Cambridge, Chelsea, Holyoke, Hudson, Medfield, North Grafton, Palmer, Randolph, Seekonk, Sudbury, Watertown, Weymouth and Worcester.

Appointment-only vaccinations will begin Feb. 11 and bookings will be available as early Feb. 9. People will be encouraged to utilize an online scheduling tool.

Only residents eligible under state guidelines will be able to get the vaccine. Massachusetts this week started Phase Two of its plan, vaccinating people 75 and over. See who else will soon be eligible.

The Woonsocket, R.I.-based retail company is getting a quarter-million doses of the vaccine from the government through a pharmacy partnership program. CVS is offering the vaccine in 11 states to start.

"Our presence in communities across the country makes us an ideal partner for administering vaccines in a safe, convenient, and familiar manner," CVS Health President Karen S. Lynch said in a statement. "This is particularly true for underserved communities, which have been a focus for us throughout the pandemic."

Massachusetts is still lagging behind many other states in distributing vaccines. The state was giving doses at a rate of about 9 per 100,000 as of Wednesday, according to Bloomberg. That's below the nationwide average of 10 per 100,000. Only about 1.8 percent of the state's population had received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as of Wednesday.

The CVS in Wayland is also offering coronavirus vaccines, according to CVS.

Patch editor Mike Carraggi contributed reporting to this story.