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More pharmacy techs will be needed as COVID cases increase.

As winter approaches and temperatures begin to drop around the United States, people will more than likely be spending more time indoors, potentially in close quarters. This is, according to public health officials, an ideal setting for the coronavirus to spread. Cases are already on the rise, with at least a 5% increase in new diagnoses as of last Thursday, and there is a distinct possibility things will only get worse through the holiday season. In order to prepare for this increase, medical-oriented businesses are making preparations.


Pharmacy chain CVS Health announced today that they intend to hire at least 15,000 new employees across its various storefronts immediately. 5,000 of these new hires are to be regular store staff, while the other 10,000 will be full and part-time pharmacy techs that will work to dispense medication, administer COVID-19 tests where available, and address general health concerns.

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In addition to handling the potential influx of new business, CVS has a secondary reason for increasing their workforce: the COVID-19 vaccine. Once a pharmaceutical company officially finishes a vaccine and it is declared to be safe, the next step will be circulating it throughout the country. Retail pharmacies like CVS will play a vital role in this process, as once they receive authorization from the US government, they will be able to administer the vaccine in-store in the same manner as they would administer a typical flu vaccine, albeit under the supervision of a pharmacist with immunization certification. CVS believes that the additional pharmacy techs they hire now will help to expedite the process of administering the COVID-19 vaccine when the time comes.

CVS is still administering its regular yearly flu shot, and with sickness concerns running high, they are projecting a much higher demand this year. Compared to last year, where CVS stores administered a collective 11 million flu shots, they are projecting at least 18 million shots this year.