WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa based Hy-Vee stores is now administering COVID-19 vaccines at long term care centers.
The grocery and pharmacy chain is one of the federally designated vaccine providers, along with Walgreens and CVS.
HY-Vee administered Moderna vaccines Tuesday to residents at a southern Minnesota nursing home, and will return to offer a second dose in 28 days.
It will also administer vaccines when they become more widely available at its stores in Iowa and seven other states.
Hy-Vee administered 100 doses to residents at the Lakeview Methodist Health Care Center in Fairmont, Minnesota, which is just north of the Iowa border.
It's one of a group of retailers that was selected earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be a COVID-19 vaccine provider.
“This is a historic moment for us all,” said Hy-Vee CEO Randy Edeker. “As an early vaccine provider, we are committed to being at the forefront and working hand-in-hand with the CDC and our local governments to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to patients as we enter this first critical phase of vaccine distribution."
Other retailers taking part in the effort, in addition to Walgreens and CVS, are Albertson's, Rite-Aid, Target, Costco, Kroger, Walmart, Winn-Dixie and H-E-B.