CVS To Offer Walk-In COVID-19 Vaccinations

CVS is offering the COVID-19 vaccine at its New Hampshire locations on a walk-in basis after all.

CVS, Walmart and Sam's Club, Walgreen, Rite Aid and Target were among the retailers who earlier this week said they would administer the COVID-19 vaccine on a walk-in basis after President Joe Biden directed pharmacies receiving the vaccine from the federal program to offer walk-in appointments.

Gov. Chris Sununu told Sarah and A-Train on the Shark morning show Thursday that CVS locations in New Hampshire had been the exception because they did not want to make appointments available via the state website.

The chain announced on Thursday afternoon that the vaccine would be available at 19 select locations starting Sunday in Bedford, Concord, Greenland, Hampton, Hanover, Hooksett, Hudson, Keene, Laconia, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, Portsmouth, Somersworth, and Stratham.

Same-day scheduling, including appointments as soon as one hour from time of scheduling, will also be available at CVS.com, through the CVS Pharmacy app or CVS customer service at 800-746-7287.

"We’re proud to play a part in increasing access to the vaccine to as many people as possible to enable reopening efforts in the communities we serve," Neela Montgomery, President of CVS Pharmacy and Executive Vice President, CVS Health, said in a statement.

The state vaccination centers will offer the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at four locations every Saturday in May between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at:

• Newington: Mall at Fox Run
• Concord: Steeplegate Mall
• Nashua: Pheasant Lane Mall
• Salem: The Mall at Rockingham Park

An appointment is required to receive the vaccination.

Over one million doses of the vaccine have been administered, representing 53% of the population in New Hampshire.

A total of 36% people are fully vaccinated, Dr. Beth Daly, chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, said at Thursday's coronavirus briefing. The number of doses given weekly had been 100,000, according to Daly, which dropped to 60,000 during the past week.

"We're really reaching that point where we're going to have to push and try to get to people who are maybe hesitant, are thinking about it or maybe they have some barrier to vaccination we want to address for them and get those people vaccinated," Daly said.

The state's Universal Best Practices take effect on Friday which are very much like the Safer at Home guidelines but are now only considered recommendations. Businesses are free to implement additional precautions.  However, unlike the Safer at Home guidelines the best practices are not broken down by type of business.

The governor said the purpose of the practices is to reemphasize and to serve as more of a reminder what he considers  the most important parts of the earlier mandates.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH