INSIDER
Recall Roundup: Samsung electric slide-in ranges, H-E-B & CVS-brand formula, Ford Do-Not-Drive advisory
Read full article: Recall Roundup: Samsung electric slide-in ranges, H-E-B & CVS-brand formula, Ford Do-Not-Drive advisoryMore than a million Samsung slide-in electric ranges and thousands of cans of H-E-B and CVS-branded formula have been recalled. Plus, Ford has issued a Do Not Drive advisory.
CVS Health chops 2024 forecast as cost struggles with Medicare Advantage persist
Read full article: CVS Health chops 2024 forecast as cost struggles with Medicare Advantage persistCVS Health missed first-quarter expectations and chopped its 2024 outlook more than a dollar below Wall Street’s forecast.
CVS Health grows more cautious about 2024 as it deals with rising Medicare Advantage costs
Read full article: CVS Health grows more cautious about 2024 as it deals with rising Medicare Advantage costsBusy Medicare Advantage businesses have CVS Health and other insurance providers spooked about the new year.
SmileDirectClub shuts down months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Read full article: SmileDirectClub shuts down months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protectionSmileDirectClub is shutting down — just months after the struggling teeth-straightening company filed for bankruptcy protection.
CVS Health lays out changes to clarify prescription drug pricing that may save some customers money
Read full article: CVS Health lays out changes to clarify prescription drug pricing that may save some customers moneyCVS Health is introducing changes to how its prescription drug pricing model works, and that could lead to some savings for customers starting next year.
CVS Health turns in better-than-expected 2Q even as pharmacy pricing, increased care use hurt
Read full article: CVS Health turns in better-than-expected 2Q even as pharmacy pricing, increased care use hurtCVS Health topped second-quarter expectations, but the health care giant’s profit sank as pricing pressure hurt its drugstore business and rising medical costs hit the health insurance side.
20 attorneys general warn Walgreens, CVS over abortion pills
Read full article: 20 attorneys general warn Walgreens, CVS over abortion pillsAttorneys general in 20 conservative-led states are warning CVS and Walgreens that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in those states.
Terrell Owens says man he punched at CVS threatened him, fan
Read full article: Terrell Owens says man he punched at CVS threatened him, fanRetired NFL star Terrell Owens said a fight caught on camera in which he punched a man in a CVS parking lot was the result of an “aggressor” threatening him and a fan he was talking to at the California store.
CVS Health tops forecasts, reserves billions for settlement
Read full article: CVS Health tops forecasts, reserves billions for settlementCVS Health booked a third-quarter loss of more than $3 billion after setting aside money for a potential opioid litigation settlement but still beat expectations and raised its 2022 forecast.
CVS drops prices on its menstrual products and will pay sales tax in Texas, other states
Read full article: CVS drops prices on its menstrual products and will pay sales tax in Texas, other statesCVS is reducing prices on its store-branded menstrual products and is paying the sales taxes on those products in Texas and 11 additional states.
Judge: Pharmacies owe 2 Ohio counties $650M in opioids suit
Read full article: Judge: Pharmacies owe 2 Ohio counties $650M in opioids suitA federal judge in Cleveland has awarded $650 million in damages to two Ohio counties that sued pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart saying their opioid distribution policies created a public nuisance.
Judge to decide how much pharmacies owe over opioid crisis
Read full article: Judge to decide how much pharmacies owe over opioid crisisA hearing began Tuesday in federal court in Cleveland that will help a judge determine how much CVS, Walgreens and Walmart should pay two northeast Ohio counties to help them ease the continuing opioid crisis.
Here’s what’s open, closed on Easter Sunday in the San Antonio area
Read full article: Here’s what’s open, closed on Easter Sunday in the San Antonio areaRunning out of Easter Candy or just tired of cooking? On Easter Sunday, some of you may be wondering where exactly a bunny can hop to for a bite to eat or errands.
Giant Eagle settles pharmacy lawsuits with Ohio counties
Read full article: Giant Eagle settles pharmacy lawsuits with Ohio countiesOne of the four retail pharmacy companies on trial for their alleged roles in fostering an opioid crisis in two Ohio counties announced Friday it had settled a lawsuit with 10 government entities in the state.
Pharmacies face 1st trial over role in opioid crisis
Read full article: Pharmacies face 1st trial over role in opioid crisisA bellwether trial is set to start Monday in federal court in Cleveland to determine whether retail pharmacy chains are liable for costs related to the opioid crisis in two Ohio counties.
CVS, Walgreens to offer third vaccine for immunocompromised individuals
Read full article: CVS, Walgreens to offer third vaccine for immunocompromised individualsWalgreens and CVS will offer a third COVID-19 vaccine to those who are immunocompromised after emergency authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
It’s never been easier to get a COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio, no appointment necessary
Read full article: It’s never been easier to get a COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio, no appointment necessaryBexar County residents no longer have to go online or wait on the phone to make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. They now have an easier option.
CVS pharmacies will expand COVID-19 vaccination sites in Texas with more doses allotted this weekend
Read full article: CVS pharmacies will expand COVID-19 vaccination sites in Texas with more doses allotted this weekendSAN ANTONIO – CVS Health announced Friday that some of its pharmacies will be getting new allocations of COVID-19 vaccine doses that will become available for booking on Saturday, with vaccinations starting Sunday. There will also be 74 additional CVS Pharmacies offering the vaccine in Texas through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, bringing the total to 180 in the state. Stores will start receiving doses on Saturday and will make appointments available as they get the doses. People must register at CVS.com or through the CVS Pharmacy app unless they don’t have internet access and then they can contact CVS Customer Service at [(800) 746-7287]. AdVaccines will eventually be available at CVS Pharmacy locations throughout the country subject to product availability, with the capacity to administer 20 – 25 million shots per month, CVS officials said.
City of San Antonio vaccine text alerts won’t cover all open appointments
Read full article: City of San Antonio vaccine text alerts won’t cover all open appointmentsSAN ANTONIO – A new City of San Antonio text alert system for open COVID-19 vaccine appointments won’t send notifications for every appointment. City officials say 34,000 people had already signed up for the new text alert system, as of Thursday evening, which will notify people when new appointments are opening up with the city’s three mass vaccination providers: University Health System, WellMed, and the city-run Alamodome site. An H-E-B spokeswoman said it received about 26,000 doses this week through the federal program, and it is getting more through the state allocations. To sign up for appointments at either pharmacy, you need to check their websites:A spokeswoman for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District said the city could add the pharmacy appointments to its text alert system, but it would need the companies to agree. RELATED: How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are available
CVS to administer COVID-19 vaccines at Texas pharmacies, including San Antonio area
Read full article: CVS to administer COVID-19 vaccines at Texas pharmacies, including San Antonio area(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)SAN ANTONIO – CVS Health will soon begin to administer COVID-19 vaccines at pharmacies across Texas, including San Antonio, according to a news release from the national chain. Initially, the pharmacy had planned on starting Feb. 11, but delayed a day to ensure supply. As of Feb. 24, the locations administering the vaccine in the San Antonio area include one San Antonio location, one in Schertz , one in New Braunfels and one in Canyon Lake. AdAppointments will be available to book online at CVS.com or through the CVS app starting Feb. 11. Supply is limited in the state, according to the news release, and CVS has secured 38,000 total doses for Texas pharmacies.
Biden boosting vaccine allotments, financing for virus costs
Read full article: Biden boosting vaccine allotments, financing for virus costsStarting next week, 1 million doses will be distributed to some 6,500 pharmacies across the country, the White House said. The administration is also boosting by 500,000 the weekly allocation of vaccines sent directly to states and territories for the coming weeks, up to 10.5 million. It is allowing state and local governments to receive additional federal dollars to cover previously incurred expenses relating to the pandemic. The number of participating pharmacies and the allocation of vaccines are expected to accelerate as drug makers increase production. The Biden administration has sought to increase certainty to state governments on their upcoming allocations to streamline deliveries and prevent stockpiling of second doses for the two-dose regimens.
Report: Many US nursing home staff decline first COVID shots
Read full article: Report: Many US nursing home staff decline first COVID shotsThe CDC looked at more than 11,000 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities that had at least one vaccination clinic between the middle of December and the middle of January. Data previously showed that people who work in nursing homes and long-term care facilities get flu vaccines at lower rates than other health-care workers. Surveys suggest that long-term care workers are skeptical the shots work and don't think viruses spread easily from them to the people they care for. The government tasked CVS and Walgreens with administering the shots to long-term care homes in nearly every state. Each vaccine requires two shots a few weeks apart, and CVS and Walgreens say they have wrapped up first-dose clinics in nursing homes.
'Little old West Virginia' sets pace on vaccine rollout
Read full article: 'Little old West Virginia' sets pace on vaccine rolloutMore shots have gone into people’s arms per capita across West Virginia than in any other state, with at least 7.4% of the population receiving the first of two shots, according to state data. “Little old West Virginia, that was thought of for hundreds of years, you know, as a place where maybe we were backward or dark or dingy,” Justice said last week. Instead, it turns out that “West Virginia has been the diamond in the rough,” Justice said on CBS’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday. The federal partnership involving both companies would have allowed Washington officials to dictate the terms of nursing home vaccinations, said Marty Wright, the head of the West Virginia Health Care Association, which represents health care companies. The governor wants in-person learning to resume at as many schools as possible by Tuesday, long before teachers will have received their second vaccine doses.
Do you know these women? San Antonio police need your help identifying these robbery suspects
Read full article: Do you know these women? San Antonio police need your help identifying these robbery suspectsSAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department is requesting the public’s help in identifying three women connected to an assault and robbery at a CVS on the city’s South Side. The two women assaulted the CVS employee and a third suspect joined in the attack. CRIME Stoppers may pay UP TO $5,000 for information that leads to felony arrests in this crime. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP (210-224-7867) or visit www.sacrimestoppers.com. Related: Police, Crime Stoppers seek clues in 2013 slaying of 42-year-old man
CVS administers COVID-19 vaccine to nursing home residents, employees starting Monday
Read full article: CVS administers COVID-19 vaccine to nursing home residents, employees starting MondayMargaret Dubois, 87, a resident at The Reservoir nursing facility, was given the second COVID-19 vaccination in a Ct. nursing home Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, in West Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Stephen Dunn,POOL)SAN ANTONIO – CVS has started administering the COVID-19 vaccine at long-term care facilities in Texas. The limited doses of Pfizer’s vaccine are going to the most vulnerable first — health care workers and nursing home residents. CVS is one of two COVID-19 vaccine providers that partnered with the U.S. government to give the shots in nursing homes. The program is expected to vaccinate up to 4 million residents and 40,000 staff members at long-term care facilities across the nation.
Long-term care facility prepares for COVID-19 vaccines
Read full article: Long-term care facility prepares for COVID-19 vaccinesSAN ANTONIO – Residents and health care workers at long-term care facilities are awaiting their COVID-19 vaccines. Adante Assisted Living and Memory Care is hoping its share of vaccines next week will provide an added layer of protection. Winsor said CVS will be administering the vaccines on their campus on specific dates. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services selected CVS Health as one of the providers to administer COVID-19 vaccinations. CVS also has an agreement to eventually provide vaccines to the general public in its 10,000 locations throughout the country next year.
California hospitals discuss rationing care as virus surges
Read full article: California hospitals discuss rationing care as virus surgesPlans for rationing care are not in place yet, but they need to be established because “the worst is yet to come,” said Los Angeles County's health services director, Dr. Christina Ghaly. Until then, four hospitals run by Los Angeles County are weighing what to do if they cannot treat everyone because of a shortage of beds or staffers. Some hospitals have canceled non-essential elective surgeries, such as hip replacements, that might take up beds that could soon be needed for COVID-19 patients. Scientists are working to determine whether the strain spreads more easily, said Moncef Slaoui, the chief science adviser for the U.S. government’s COVID-19 vaccine effort. Bill Lee on Sunday announced new social gathering restrictions while still refusing to implement a mask mandate despite pleas from front-line health care workers.
CVS to begin administering COVID-19 vaccine at Texas facilities by end of December
Read full article: CVS to begin administering COVID-19 vaccine at Texas facilities by end of DecemberAdministering the vaccine is Bob Atighechi, a CVS pharmacist from Rocky Hill. (AP Photo/Stephen Dunn,POOL)SAN ANTONIO – CVS on Monday announced that it will start administering the COVID-19 vaccine at long-term care facilities in Texas by the end of the month. The limited doses of Pfizer’s vaccine are going to the most vulnerable first — health care workers and nursing home residents. CVS is one of two COVID-19 vaccine providers that partnered with the U.S. government to give the shots in nursing homes. The program is expected to vaccinate up to 4 million residents and 40,000 staff members at long-term care facilities across the nation.
EXPLAINER: What to know about COVID-19 vaccination in the US
Read full article: EXPLAINER: What to know about COVID-19 vaccination in the USDr. Michelle Chester draws the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York. Even with vaccination, you'll still need to take precautions, like wearing a mask and social distancing, health officials say. Once doses are widely available, people should be able to use an existing government website, www.vaccinefinder.org, to find COVID-19 shots. The panel also suggests avoiding getting other vaccinations for two weeks before and after a COVID-19 shot. COVID-19 vaccines can’t be mixed and matched, so if a second dose is needed, providers will be checking to make sure you get the right one.
Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industry
Read full article: Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industryThe retail colossus opened an online pharmacy Tuesday that allows customers to order medication or prescription refills, and have them delivered to their front door in a couple of days. All have upped online services and touted their abilities to deliver prescriptions and other goods as the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed more consumers to stay home. The company said its online pharmacy will offer commonly prescribed medications in the U.S., including creams, pills, as well as medications that need to stay refrigerated, like insulin. They can also get discounts at 50,000 physical pharmacies around the country at Costco, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and other stores. Two years ago, it spent $750 million to buy online pharmacy PillPack, which organizes medication in packets by what time and day they need to be taken.
Feds planning now to get coronavirus shots to nursing homes
Read full article: Feds planning now to get coronavirus shots to nursing homesUnder the voluntary program, trained staff from CVS and Walgreens would deliver the vaccines to each nursing home and administer shots. The nation has 15,000-16,000 nursing homes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The use of retail chain pharmacies has prompted some concerns, because nursing homes typically deal with specialized pharmacies and not the big drugstores catering to consumers. Mango said the plan would accommodate nursing homes that want to continue to work with specialized pharmacies. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the program will “provide convenient and free vaccination to residents of nursing homes across America.”
CVS expanding its drive-thru testing sites across the nation, 50 new sites expected in Texas
Read full article: CVS expanding its drive-thru testing sites across the nation, 50 new sites expected in TexasCVS is expanding its COVID-19 testing capability, announcing more than 2,000 new COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites at pharmacy locations across the nation. Of the new sites announced, 50 are being added in Texas, adding three more to the over 20 locations in San Antonio. The new locations are expected to open in waves over the next couple of weeks, according to a press release. Here’s the list of the new locations in San Antonio:10225 Wurzbach Road16580 Huebner Road5975 Old Pearsall RoadOther nearby locations getting a drive-thru testing site:1836 Pat Booker Blvd. in Universal City19244 McDonald Street in LytleRelated Content:What nursing home visits will look like in Texas following Gov.
Hawaii to allow travelers to skip quarantine with virus test
Read full article: Hawaii to allow travelers to skip quarantine with virus testDavid Ige said Wednesday that starting Oct. 15, travelers arriving from out of state may bypass a 14-day quarantine requirement if they test negative for COVID-19. Travelers will have to take the test within 72 hours before their flight arrives in the islands. Earlier this year Ige planned to start a pre-travel testing program on Aug. 1 only to have to postpone it as COVID-19 cases spiked on the U.S. mainland and in Hawaii. Hawaii leaders are hopeful that pre-travel testing will encourage people to return to a Hawaii in a way that keeps residents safe. “I want to emphasize that this pre-travel testing will allow us to add a greater element of safety for travel into our state,” Ige said at a news conference.
Judge rejects pharmacy chains' bid to toss opioid suits
Read full article: Judge rejects pharmacy chains' bid to toss opioid suits(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)CLEVELAND Lawsuits filed by two Ohio counties against retail pharmacy chains claiming their opioid dispensing practices flooded communities with pain pills and were a a public nuisance can continue, a federal judge in Cleveland has determined. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster rejected the pharmacy chains' motion to dismiss the suits, ruling Thursday that the Ohio law does indeed apply to Lake and Trumbull counties' nuisance claims. Polster is overseeing more than 2,000 lawsuits filed by local governments, tribal authorities and others against companies they blame for fueling an opioid epidemic that has killed 430,000 people since 2000. The two northeast Ohio counties' lawsuits against CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart and Giant Eagle were the first to target retail pharmacy chains as both distributors and dispensers of painkillers. Those claims seek damages from the retail chains as distributors of painkillers but not as dispensers.
Men wielding knife rob CVS Pharmacy on North Side, police say
Read full article: Men wielding knife rob CVS Pharmacy on North Side, police saySAN ANTONIO San Antonio police and Crime Stoppers are looking for two people responsible for robbing a pharmacy on the citys North Side. Police said a victim approached one of the men as they were walking towards the exit, and was threatened with a knife. Anyone with any knowledge of the incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (210) 224-STOP. Tips can also be texted to CRIMES (274637) or by visiting the Crime Stoppers website. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Arizona governor facing pressure to act as virus cases surge
Read full article: Arizona governor facing pressure to act as virus cases surgeThe Arizona Department of Health Services posted on its website Monday another 1,104 cases of COVID-19 and eight additional deaths, bringing the statewide total number of coronavirus cases to 36,705 and related deaths to 1,194. Doug Ducey to take steps like requiring masks in public to slow a major increase in new coronavirus cases that has made the state a national hot spot. Arizona hospitals were treating a record number of coronavirus patients Tuesday amid a surge of new cases. The state's Health Services Department reported a record number of emergency room visits for the virus as well. #MaskUpAZ.During a news briefing last week where he pushed back on questions about a mask mandate, the governor insisted that the state's hospitals, while filling up, had the capacity to treat any expected surge in virus patients.
CVS Pharmacy opening 44 drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Texas
Read full article: CVS Pharmacy opening 44 drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in TexasSAN ANTONIO – CVS Pharmacy will open drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at select locations throughout San Antonio and Texas. The national pharmacy chain announced that 44 testing sites will open in the state, including five in the San Antonio area, on Friday. Once they arrive, patients must stay in their cars and a CVS Pharmacy employee will hand them a self-swab test. Greg Abbott said in a news release that CVS plans on opening more than 80 drive-thru testing sites in the state by the end of the month. “Texas continues to rapidly ramp up COVID-19 testing in our communities, and these new drive-thru testing sites provided by CVS Health will further expand access to these tests throughout the state,” Abbott said.