The federal government will send one million vaccine doses to about 6,500 retail pharmacies on throughout the week. The beginning of a federal program that will deliver vaccines directly to as many as 40,000 drugstores and grocery stores. This will shift how the whole way the vaccine has been.

“The program’s launch will mark the start of a new stage in the massive vaccination campaign in the United States, gradually shifting a drive which so far has been centered in health care facilities and massive sites like stadiums to smaller, more local settings that will play a crucial role in vaccinating the general public,” said Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Masks are still going to important after the vaccines are distributed to pharmacies and finally available to the general public.

“Starting out with a good mask to begin with is going to be key,” said Dr. David Hamer, an infectious disease expert at Boston University.

Sites must be selected with care so that those who are more vulnerable can get it.

Jeff Zients the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator told reporters “Sites are selected based on their ability to reach some of the populations most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including socially vulnerable communities.

Dozens of national and regional chains are participating in the distribution of the vaccine, though not all of them will be involved in the first phase of distribution. Among them are CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, Kroger, Publix, Meijer, Costco, Jewel-Osco and Safeway.