Walmart, Meijer Prepare for COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

As more pharmaceutical manufacturers move closer to approved COVID-19 vaccines, many retail pharmacies are preparing for eventual administration. Meijer and Walmart are the latest retailers, following Hy-Vee, to outline their plans.

All three retailers have been identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as crucial public health partners for increasing access and convenience of COVID-19 vaccines. Other retailers to sign on as partners include Albertsons Cos., Costco, CVS, H-E-B, Publix, Rite Aid, The Kroger Co., Walgreens and Winn-Dixie.  

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer, which has 256 grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, is focusing on a variety of initiatives to help it provide COVID-19 vaccines to a large number of patients, including developing specific technical solutions to help the retailer manage both the volume of patients and the need for follow up to ensure patients receive a second dose—as the vaccine reportedly requires—in a timely manner.

Meijer is also looking at physical spaces and locations for large-scale clinics, similar to the seasonal flu shot clinics the retailer conducted this fall at large stadiums and outdoor locations. The retailer said it also has the potential to host COVID-19 clinics inside its stores, as many of them are more than 200,000 square feet.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart said it is making sure it has freezers in all its pharmacies, as well as dry ice, to handle any requirements for storing the vaccine. It also is putting in place processes to inform people of when to receive the first and second doses and to report successful vaccinations.

“With 90% of the American population living within 10 miles of a Walmart, we will play an important part in making sure those who want a vaccine can get one when they are eligible based on their state’s prioritization, especially those in hard to reach parts of the country that have recently been hit hard by the epidemic,” Tom Van Gilder, chief medical officer for Walmart, said in a company blog.

Hy-Vee in early December announced plans to hire 1,000 full- and part-time licensed pharmacy technicians as it prepares to distribute a vaccine. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based grocer also recently announced that it will offer rapid antigen COVID-19 testing at 47 Hy-Vee pharmacy locations via a drive-thru testing process. The first 18 locations will began testing Dec. 10, with the additional 29 locations scheduled to begin testing over the next two weeks. Patients will receive same day test results in as little as 1-2 hours.