The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in talks with Dollar General, one of the nation’s largest retailers, to expand the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to rural areas.
While Dollar General does not have pharmacies, they have over 16,000 locations, which is three times more than Walmart.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky said rural areas don’t always have access to big box stores.
“We’re exploring a promising collaboration with Dollar General stores, which have locations that include refrigeration capacity within 10 or 15 miles of our rural communities in all but four states.”
Dollar General was one of the first companies to announce incentives to its employees to get vaccinated, giving four hours of pay to hourly front-line workers who get shots.
“Individuals living in rural areas in the U.S. are significantly less likely to say they will get a COVID-19 vaccine that is deemed safe and available for free than individuals living in suburban and urban America,” according to Kaiser Family Foundation research published in January.
From USA Today