Walmart, Sam's Club open waiting list for COVID-19 vaccinations - WCJB

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Many Walmart and Sam’s Club Pharmacy locations in the state of Florida that currently offer the COVID-19 vaccine have starting keeping wait lists, with many having no age, professional, or health risk-factor requirements.

That’s because, according to statement by a Walmart spokesperson, if someone misses an appointment the vaccine set out for them will go bad anyways so it might as well go in someone’s arm.

“Eligibility and Waste Avoidance Protocols have been developed in collaboration with state health departments with the shared goal of never letting a dose go to waste. Each vial contains multiple doses, and those doses are administered in accordance with CDC and FDA guidelines. In the event additional doses from an opened vial are available and there are no scheduled appointment, we turn to individuals, including our associates, who fall within that priority to administer the remaining doses. If no one is available in that priority, where states allow, we move to the next priority,” a Walmart spokesperson told WCJB TV20 News.

People who meet the current standards for vaccination, as issued by the State of Florida and the Federal government, get to schedule their appointments ahead of time, knowing when and where they will be given their shot.

However, for people who have no mitigating health factors, don’t work in education or as a first responder, or are not over the age of 65, they can go on a wait list and if someone misses an appointment, they may get a call from the pharmacy to come and get their shot.

Of the 10 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in North Central Florida TV20 contacted, all were keeping a waiting list, with many of them having more than 100 people on that list already.

On a call with someone from Walmart’s national COVID-19 information line, they advise that, since each location gets to manage their wait list how they see fit, and since protocols can sometimes change very quickly, the best course of action is to call your local Walmart or Sam’s Club to find out specifics about how they are handling their wait list.

If you’d like to know more about if you qualify to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine appointment ahead of time through Walmart or Sam’s Club, or to see a list of locations offering the vaccine so you can call to get on their wait list, you can follow this link to their website.

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