DC urges pharmacies to shutter COVID-19 vaccine scheduling sites in favor of the city’s portal

When William Fadel, president and CEO of Grubb鈥檚 Pharmacy in Southeast D.C., found out the store would be receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to offer to eligible District residents and workers, he started making a waiting list for his regular customers.聽

As soon as the store鈥檚 allotment arrived, Fadel had the flexibility to call his customers and ask when they鈥檇 be able to stop in. Many inquired about the vaccine while picking up prescriptions.聽

Fadel said the same was true at Kalorama Pharmacy, in Adams Morgan, which started scheduling appointments on its website and began offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine March 31. The pharmacies receive doses through the , which sends the vaccines directly to stores independent of D.C. Health鈥檚 weekly allotment.聽

But on an unexpected conference call this week, Fadel said, D.C. Health鈥檚 leaders urged the city’s pharmacies to immediately take down scheduling options on their websites. Instead, they were urged to send residents and workers to the city鈥檚 preregistration portal, leaving local pharmacies in limbo.

It’s the latest challenge for the city’s vaccine rollout, which had previously been plagued by website problems.

Washington City Paper request to the pharmacies.

Since the city started distributing vaccines, D.C. officials have urged the public to register using its portal, stressing the equitable aspects of their approach. While the city advertises , it hasn鈥檛 done so with pharmacies, many of which have opened scheduling portals online in recent weeks. The result has been Twitter accounts, ,鈥� that highlight when pharmacies have appointments available.聽

At a news conference Monday, health director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said the health department worked with pharmacies early on to ensure they all used the same preregistration list. However, she said, 鈥淚t is not impossible that a site has been activated without our knowledge and is recruiting individuals separately from what is happening in the [D.C. government] portal.鈥�

In a statement to 草莓传媒, a D.C. Health spokeswoman confirmed the department鈥檚 call with pharmacies, saying 鈥渉aving multiple links for appointments leads to inequity in vaccine distribution.鈥澛�

However, the department also said, 鈥淲e are supportive of the pharmacies having other equitable mechanisms of vaccine administration.鈥澛�

草莓传媒 has contacted the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine if D.C. has the authority to require local pharmacies to stop scheduling doses independently.聽

At the city鈥檚 urging, Fadel said both Grubb鈥檚 Southeast and Kalorama Pharmacy shut down their scheduling websites.聽

鈥淩ight now, it feels like there鈥檚 a huge bump in the road,鈥� Fadel told 草莓传媒. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 feel good. We鈥檙e trapped. We鈥檙e putting extra resources to say, 鈥楴o, I can鈥檛 do it.鈥欌€�

The call proved frustrating for Fadel, who said he contacted D.C. Health to collaborate several times when he learned the stores would be offering the vaccine. He said he directed inquiries to two different people but never received a response.聽

D.C. Health also asked the pharmacies on the call to send the city information regarding how many vaccine appointments they can accommodate hourly. Fadel said he provided that information Wednesday night, but has not heard when the city may be filling the store鈥檚 vaccine slots.聽

Pharmacies were not told to cancel any previously scheduled appointments but were asked not to schedule new ones.

鈥淲e begged and pleaded, through the many emails I sent the Department of Health before we were able to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from HHS, that if they鈥檙e able, would they send us some of their vaccine, and we鈥檒l be more than happy to vaccinate because we鈥檙e trained, qualified and ready,鈥� Fadel said.聽

Fadel also told D.C. Health Grubb’s would volunteer some of its pharmacists to help vaccinate at city-run sites, but didn鈥檛 receive a response.聽

After the call, Fadel said, he spoke to leaders at pharmacy network CPESN to determine whether it had to comply with the city鈥檚 request.聽

Meanwhile, CVS and Walgreens are still offering the option to make appointments on their websites. Walgreens has been offering the vaccine in D.C. since mid-March, a company spokesman said in an email.

鈥淕iven Washington, D.C.鈥檚 pre-registration system, we recommend residents check with D.C. Health to determine whether they must pre-register for vaccination in order to receive a vaccine, or if they can register with providers directly as appointments become available,鈥� the spokesman said.聽

Fadel said ideally, the city would send residents to the pharmacies while also allowing the them to schedule appointments themselves. But until the city, which plans to make everyone 16 and older eligible for a shot next week, contacts him, Fadel said he鈥檚 just waiting for direction.

鈥淛ust allow us to do what we鈥檙e good doing, which is, we do a great job taking care of the public,鈥� Fadel said. 鈥淏ut right now, we鈥檙e just strapped, basically.鈥�

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