CVS Health said Monday it is hiring 15,000 people to administer COVID-19 tests and flu vaccinations as it prepares for an expected surge in cases this fall and winter.
More than 10,000 of the new hires will be licensed pharmacy technicians who can give COVID-19 tests — and who the company hopes will also be authorized to administer vaccinations.
“Additional team members typically are needed every flu season,” head of human resources Lisa Bisaccia said in a statement. “However, we’re estimating a much greater need for trained pharmacy technicians this year given the continued presence of COVID-19 in our communities.”
Some 4,000 CVS drive-throughs also serve as a COVID-19 testing sites across the country.
Many of these jobs are temporary, the company said and include pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants and distribution center employees.
In March, at the onset of the pandemic, the company announced plans to hire 50,000 employees in what it described as “the most ambitious hiring drive in the company’s history.”
The 15,000 new hires are in addition to those previously announced positions, the company said.
CVS has been pushing state legislatures to allow licensed pharmacy technicians to give vaccinations. Only six states, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington, according to a MarketWatch report, allow techs to give vaccines.
