BACKGROUND: The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP) integrated pharmacies as partners in the national effort to maximize vaccination during the COVID-19 public health emergency. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to quantify the contribution of pharmacies participating in FRPP to COVID-19 vaccination efforts during December 2020-September 2023 across sociodemographic groups in the United States. METHODS: Data on COVID-19 vaccine doses administered reported to CDC by FRPP and jurisdictional immunization information systems (IIS) of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories were analyzed to estimate FRPP contributions. RESULTS: Approximately 314.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered by FRPP throughout this period, constituting 48.9% of all COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. FRPP contributions to COVID-19 vaccination ranged from 12.9% to 56.8% for persons aged 6 months-4 years and 12-17 years, respectively. FRPP made the highest contribution to administering COVID-19 doses to Non-Hispanic Asian (48.7%) and Hispanic/Latino (49.8%) persons. The proportion of COVID-19 doses given by FRPP pharmacies was found to be higher in urban areas (57%) compared with rural areas (45%). CONCLUSION: FRPP administered a substantial proportion of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the United States and provided vaccine access for persons across a wide range of groups. Pharmacies can complement vaccination efforts during public health emergency situations and in routine vaccination programs.

To support efforts to vaccinate millions of Americans across the United States (US) against COVID-19, the US federal government (USG) launched the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (PPP) in December 2020 and the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP) in February 2021. These programs consisted of a collaborative partnership with the USG and 21 pharmacy organizations, including large retail chains, coordinating pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) representing independent retail and long-term care pharmacies, and pharmacy network administrators. These pharmacy organizations represented over 46,000 providers and created a robust channel for far-reaching COVID-19 vaccination across 56 state and local jurisdictions. PPP reported more than 8 million COVID-19 doses administered to residents and staff in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) as of June 2021. In addition, FRPP was responsible for administering more than 304 million doses, accounting for approximately 49% of all COVID-19 doses administered as of June 2023. This unprecedented public-private partnership allowed USG to rapidly adapt, expand, and aim to provide equitable access to vaccines for adults and eligible-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the largest federal COVID-19 vaccination program, the FRPP exemplifies how public-private partnerships can expand access to immunizations during a public health emergency. End-to-end informatics support helped pharmacies meet critical national public health goals and served as convenient access points for sustained health services. This manuscript describes lessons learned regarding informatics coordination with participating pharmacy partners to support the rapid and safe administration of COVID-19 vaccines across the US. The processes of onboarding to CDC's complex data network, establishing connections to state and local immunization information systems (IIS), and monitoring the quality of data pharmacy partners submitted to the CDC Data Clearinghouse (DCH) in alignment with the COVID-19 Vaccine Reporting Specifications (CVRS) are highlighted.