Senators to Biden: More Southwest Virginia pharmacies need to be in retail COVID distribution chain

Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have asked President Joe Biden’s team to address the absence of pharmacies in Southwest Virginia being left off a supply chain for COVID vaccine distribution.

In a letter to the president as well as officials with the Department of Health and Human Services, the lawmakers emphasized a good portion of the region’s population includes residents that are at-risk to the virus and the strategy to get the serum to retailers to help more people needs to be reexamined.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists CVS Pharmacy as the only retail source in Virginia for vaccine distribution but none of the Southwest locations are included on the list.

(IMAGE: C. Riedel / Associated Press)