Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

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Ohio Man
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Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by Ohio Man »

In Cincinnati, Kroger is giving them out (by appointment only, as are most if not all places giving COVID vaccines in Ohio). My daughter is getting her second shot of Moderna tomorrow, which is the vaccine all Krogers in the area seem to have. Unlike local health departments, Kroger asks to see insurance cards (if people have them) so they can bill an administrative fee.

Meijer is late to the party, announcing their participation as a vaccine provider very recently. I'm guessing they've been allotted Johnson and Johnson, since their website says they are only making appointments for people getting their first shot, not their second.

Remke hasn't had pharmacies in a number of years so they're not involved in giving vaccine shots. WalMart is scheduling appointmens (they're apparently booked up at present) but I couldn't cares less.

What supermarkets in your area are giving out the shots?
TW-Upstate NY
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

I know of Price Chopper for sure and I believe Hannaford is or is going to. I have no idea what Shop Rite is doing or is going to do. (Help me out here Billy.) The more the better I say. Got my first dose of Moderna on Saturday at a location of a regional drug store chain and I am beyond grateful. You need to make this as convenient for people as possible.
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by Romr123 »

Interesting--in Michigan Meijer and Rite Aid led the charge, with Kroger and CVS only just activating...between Rite Aid and Meijer nearly all the state is covered.
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by Alpha8472 »

The Moderna vaccine is easier to give since it does not require time consuming reconstitution. Pfizer requires reconstitution. In Northern California, a small number of CVS and Walgreens are giving the vaccine. There is still a distribution problem in California. Walmart is supposedly starting COVID vaccinations next week.

If the customer has insurance of course the pharmacy wants to get paid for the vaccine administration. Otherwise the supermarket would be paying a pharmacist to give shots and not get any payment in return. The store wants to break even or make a little profit.

The state contracted out to Blue Shield to run the distribution. However, it seems like a conflict of interest. They could funnel vaccines to their preferred pharmacies.
Ohio Man
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by Ohio Man »

Alpha8472 wrote: March 23rd, 2021, 1:56 pm
If the customer has insurance of course the pharmacy wants to get paid for the vaccine administration. Otherwise the supermarket would be paying a pharmacist to give shots and not get any payment in return. The store wants to break even or make a little profit.

If you re-read my initial post, you will find that I didn't criticize Kroger for wanting to bill insurance companies for administrative fees. I was stating a fact. Period.
Ohio Man
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by Ohio Man »

TW-Upstate NY wrote: March 23rd, 2021, 9:44 am Got my first dose of Moderna on Saturday at a location of a regional drug store chain and I am beyond grateful. You need to make this as convenient for people as possible.

I'm grateful as well to get my fist Pfizer dose. I will soon get my second. I agree about making the shots as convenient as possible.
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by Ohio Man »

Romr123 wrote: March 23rd, 2021, 10:07 am Interesting--in Michigan Meijer and Rite Aid led the charge, with Kroger and CVS only just activating...between Rite Aid and Meijer nearly all the state is covered.


It probably makes sense that Meijer would be more in the forefront in its home state. But when it comes to vaccine providers, I say the more the merrier. The sooner people get vaccinated, the sooner we get past the pandemic.
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by buckguy »

Giant and Safeway have been doing vaccines in DC. They have the space for people to lineup, etc., so they make more sense than CVS and Walgreens. They do ask for insurance info---I'm guessing that whatever contracts they have with health departments assume some income stream from insurance. I've been vaccinated, but I haven't received an explanation of benefits from my insurer yet.
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by BillyGr »

TW-Upstate NY wrote: March 23rd, 2021, 9:44 am I know of Price Chopper for sure and I believe Hannaford is or is going to. I have no idea what Shop Rite is doing or is going to do. (Help me out here Billy.) The more the better I say. Got my first dose of Moderna on Saturday at a location of a regional drug store chain and I am beyond grateful. You need to make this as convenient for people as possible.
Now that the internet is reconnected to me ;) - The ShopRite in Hudson (south of Albany) has been doing them for a while. As best as I can tell, all the other Albany area locations that hadn't closed their pharmacies before were part of that recent ShopRite Pharmacy closing (North Greenbush never had one) so I wouldn't expect them to have any.

Hannaford is doing them at some stores (same way with Price Chopper), which also makes sense as not all the stores of either chain have pharmacies, and likely also as at first they weren't getting too many at a time (they have both increased the lists of stores offering them over time).
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Re: Supermarkets giving COVID vaccines in your area

Post by klkla »

The CVS near me has a person at a table immediately inside the door. People think there is a line to get inside the store and don't realize it's for the vaccine only. It definitely causes a bottleneck.
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