CVS to Hire 15,000 Pharmacy Workers As Seasonal Flu And COVID Collide

According to this article from Forbes, drugstore giant CVS Health will hire 15,000 full and part-time workers as the company braces for an influx of customer needs during the flu season and the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19. CVS currently has 300,000 U.S. employees across its operations that include 10,000 drugstores, as well as the Aetna health insurance unit.

Pharmacies have been in a unique position as they have been among the few businesses that remained open as “stay at home” orders were issued for citizens amid the coronavirus outbreak. This triggered a rush of customers and a hiring spree to fill 50,000 jobs earlier this year.

But this time, drugstores are expecting a rush of customers in what is expected to be an unprecedented number of Americans getting their seasonal flu shots. They are expecting even more store traffic should drugstore chains including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Rite Aid get U.S. approval to administer COVID-19 vaccines once they are approved. Currently, there is no approved COVID-19 vaccine, though Pfizer may seek an emergency approval in late November.