Walgreens and CVS temporarily close some stores as COVID surges

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: CNN, via WMUR-TV, Manchester

Walgreens and CVS temporarily close some stores as COVID surges

CNN Updated: 6:26 PM EST Jan 14, 2022

Two of the biggest retail pharmacies in the U.S. are temporarily closing some stores and pharmacies on the weekends as the latest surge in COVID-19 causes staff shortages. ... Walgreens said that, like many industries, this latest surge in the omicron variant is placing a significant strain on its business in the short-term and driving demand unlike "anything seen before."

In a statement to CNN on Friday, Walgreens spokesperson Kris Lathan said, "While the vast majority of our stores are open and operating with normal business hours, the ongoing labor shortage combined with the surge of COVID-19 cases has resulted in isolated instances in which we've had to adjust operating hours or temporarily close a limited number of stores."

When making the decision to adjust store hours, Lathan said that the company makes every effort to minimize disruption for customers by selecting days with "the lowest prescription demand." She added that when the company temporarily closes a store, it directs some pharmacy services to the nearest open Walgreens.

CVS said on Friday that the lion's share of its stores are operating on their normal weekend hours, according to Mike DeAngelis, executive director of CVS Corporate Communications. But he noted that "a tiny fraction of stores are temporarily closed on one or both days of the weekend to help address acute staffing issues amidst both the omicron surge and the workforce shortage affecting nearly every industry and company."

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Read more: https://www.wmur.com/article/walgreens-and-cvs-temporarily-close-some-stores-as-covid-surges/38771569

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Walgreens and CVS temporarily close some stores as COVID surges

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[George II]

1. Two weeks ago our local sports bar (where I go once a week for early "happy hour") was closed...

...until 3PM each day instead of opening at 11:00 AM due to staffing shortages.

When bars are closed because of this America is in REAL trouble!

[Botany]

2. It is bad all over. The mail has been on and off and I haven't been able to get frisk riesling ...

... for a month.



BTW my brother and his family all have it and my son, daughter in law, and grand daughter all
went through it about 1 week ago. I might have had it but didn't show any symptoms. I took
care of two families that were housebound with it in my neighborhood too.

[Evolve Dammit]

3. You need the Frisk. We all need a break. Hope you can obtain a comparable product. Rough times

[Botany]

4. I have had to adapt

The shit is everyplace.

[Evolve Dammit]

5. I wish I could remember the exellent Reisling we bought years ago, but alas my brain is foggy. It

was German, inexpensive (9-10 bucks) and delightful. Cheers!

[cstanleytech]

6. I use Walgreens and in my area if they closed them on the weekend I would barely notice as they

have short hours on Saturday and nearly nonexistent ones on Sunday.

[Larissa]

7. Walgreen's situation

In my neck of the woods in New Jersey, I managed to pick up some medication refills at one Walgreens, but only from the drive through lane. Inside of the store, the pharmacy was closed with a sign posted that the closure was due to lack of staff. I headed out for a larger Walgreens, about several miles away, and they were operating but not at full throttle. The drive through lane was closed. At a third Walgreens the pharmacy has been closed for many weeks with a sign directing customers to another Walgreens -- with a closed pharmacy!

On Reddit there was a post stating that pharmacies cannot operate without a licensed pharmacist present. One individual posted about a pharmacy that had to shut down just for that reason. Sadly, when the pharmacist returned to work, after contracting Covid, he suffered a seizure and had to be rushed to the hospital.

This past Wednesday Governor Murphy re-declared a public health emergency amid a surge of cases. Murphy initially reported that the state was seeing nearly 35,000 new cases a day and in the past two weeks more than 10,000 residents have been hospitalized. Today the hospitalization numbers are down to 20,624. As has been reported, hospitals have been testing patients who are being treated for conditions other than Covid. A shocking number of them have tested positive.

I think the initial happy talk about Omicron being milder than Delta gave folks a false sense of security. That was reckless. Lots of folks had stopped wearing masks. I noted that Gov. Murphy hadn't mandated masks -- at least indoors -- in this go-around with Omicron. There's been recent talk about getting used to the idea of living with Covid-19. I guess that would be simple if we knew what to expect.

[eggplant]

8. Pharmacists weren't magically abucted.

They could "temporarily" pay them accordingly and like magic, staffing shortages would vanish.

[cinematicdiversions]

9. Well no they are out sick. There are no replacements

On short notice.

[soldierant]

10. This would explain

why, when I made an online appointment with Walgreens for my booster (it's barely been 6 months since my second shot) I could not get one before Wednesday - not that I mind that. Normally I take along a small knitting project, but I think I'll take something else against boredom, something I can do with gloves on.

[twodogsbarking]

11. Wear boxing gloves.

People stay away when you do. Clerks are nicer too.

[soldierant]

14. LOL!

Thanks for the suggestion.I was thinking something a little more easy to work in but we'll see.

[czarjak]

12. Pharmacies? When the essentials go, it might be serious. Thanks, Trump and Republicans!

[milestogo]

13. FWIW the CVS that are within Target stores will not be closed.

My CVS pharmacist told me this.

Edit: These are much smaller than freestanding stores, obviously. They give vaccines and fill prescriptions.