Affected by the shortage of staff due to the infection of employees, some of the largest pharmacies in the country, such as Walgreens and CVS, will be closed on the weekend. (Associated Press)

(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 15, 2022) The nation's largest pharmacy chain, including CVS Health Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance, is under labor pressure due to the impact of the outbreak and the spread of the Omicron variant, and some stores will be closed over the weekend.

The decision to close on weekends is fairly rare, but the reality is that the store doesn't have enough pharmacists and technicians to keep it open on weekends, CVS and Walgreens said.

Retailers and supermarkets such as Macy's Inc and Walmart are also cutting store hours now as more and more employees are sick with the virus, either waiting for coronavirus test results or having to take care of their relatives.

Before the Omicron variant virus caused the epidemic to heat up again, the major chain pharmacies with a total of about 20,000 branches across the country have begun to reduce business hours, raise wages for employees, and try their best to hire more staff, hoping to solve the manpower shortage problem.

Chain pharmacies have played an important role in providing virus testing and COVID-19 vaccines during the epidemic. Employees complained about the increased workload, and some consumers complained about the quality of the pharmacy's services.

Both Walgreens and CVS stated that the number of stores closed on weekends cannot be clearly calculated, because the situation varies from week to week, and some branches announced that they will temporarily close on weekends without warning.

In recent weeks, there have been reports of consumers in Washington, New Gloucester, Maine, and New Paltz, New York, suddenly discovering pharmacy chains and drive-throughs) The situation where the medicine pick-up window is suddenly closed. Some people made an appointment to get the vaccine, but when they arrived, they found that the pharmacy was not open.

Zach Fox, a resident of Akron, Ohio, said that his wife had surgery for a broken leg and wanted to take painkillers after returning home because of the pain. “When I arrived at the branch, I saw a sign on the door saying that it was closed at 6:00 p.m. and would not open until 10:00 a.m. on Monday, citing "factors beyond our control." “He said his wife waited a full 12 hours before getting the pain medication at other CVS locations.

(Source: Compiled from online information)