COVID-19: A timeline of 'firsts'

Throughout the pandemic, people across the globe experienced many “firsts”—from wearing face coverings when leaving home to turning their living rooms into classrooms. It’s been a transformative year and a half, and some elements of the world and our business have changed forever. 

As we continue celebrating our pharmacy heroes during American Pharmacists Month, here are a few ways our team members rose to one of the biggest challenges of their lives and their profession.
 

• March 2020: San Francisco Walgreens pharmacy team helps patients stranded on a cruise ship quarantined due to COVID-19.
   
• April 2020: Danny Wolak is one of the first Walgreens pharmacists to participate in early drive-thru COVID-19 testing.

• May 2020: During the early days of the pandemic, specialty pharmacy manager Joynell Bean shares what it’s like to continue caring for patients with multiple sclerosis from inside a New Orleans hospital during a pandemic.
   
• September 2020: Walgreens’ chief medical officer, Dr. Kevin Ban, addresses consumer attitudes and misconceptions about getting a flu shot during the pandemic.
   
• November 2020: Luke Sauter and Tasha Polster lead vaccine distribution efforts in preparation for the COVID-19 vaccine.
   
• December 2020: Pharmacist Kate Latta administers Walgreens’ first COVID-19 vaccine, to an elderly patient in an Ohio long-term care facility.

• January 2021: While other NFL stadiums host playoff games, Walgreens pharmacists administer thousands of vaccines to qualifying patients at the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.
   
• February 2021: Josh Clossin administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a 103-year-old, two-time pandemic survivor who lived through the Spanish Flu.
   
• March 2021: Walgreens and Uber join forces to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccine equity, administering more than 7,000 vaccines to community members across the Atlanta metropolitan area.
   
• April 2021: “Roll Up Your Sleeves” TV special to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations airs, featuring President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, WBA CEO Roz Brewer and more. Speaking of TV, Walgreens pharmacists also administer COVID-19 vaccines live on air to the anchors of NBC’s TODAY Show.
   
• May 2021: To help ensure the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Walgreens kicks off a multi-city mobile clinic tour, which also made its way to some of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in September.

• August 2021: Since the beginning of the pandemic, Walgreens has made additional investments in support of its team members, including adding 25,000 full-time and part-time pharmacy team members, raising the starting hourly wage for all team members to $15 an hour and introducing new bonuses and rewards for pharmacy teams.
   
• September 2021: After losing two family members to COVID-19, Adrian Contreras, pharmacy manager in Woodburn, Oregon, continues to spread the word to help get his community members vaccinated.
   
• October 2021: Thanks to the herculean efforts of tens of thousands of Walgreens pharmacy team members, the company surpasses vaccination goals, administering more than 40 million COVID-19 vaccinations to date.