Meijer aims to provide 17,000 COVID-19 shots this week in Indiana

This week, Meijer plans to conduct a round of more than 60 COVID-19 vaccine clinics at stores across Indiana.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer said Monday that the clinics will administer up to 17,000 doses of coronavirus shots by the end of the week. In line with state guidelines, the free vaccinations will be provided to residents ages 65 years and older who have enrolled through the company’s online COVID-19 vaccine registration website. 

Due to high demand for immunizations, the clinic locations aren’t being released. Meijer said registered customers will be contacted directly with an appointment time and site once an appointment window becomes available. Besides using the online tool, customers can also register by texting “COVID” to 75049 or by asking to register at their local Meijer pharmacy.

"We have been able to receive vaccines and quickly administer doses to thousands of people in our communities, usually within 72 hours.” — Meijer's Rick Keyes (Photo courtesy of NACDS)

Meijer is one of a host of partners in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination program launched earlier this month by the Biden administration.

“We are very proud of the role our stores and pharmacies continue to play in this massive effort to vaccinate people against COVID-19,” Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said in a statement. “As a pharmacy partner to both the state of Indiana and the federal government, we have been able to receive vaccines and quickly administer doses to thousands of people in our communities, usually within 72 hours.”

Related:Meijer plans round of COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Michigan

Meijer noted that its participation in the federal program — through which it receives COVID-19 vaccine doses directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — enables the company to undertake an aggressive vaccine schedule in Indiana. Plans call for Meijer to hold 64 vaccine clinics at stores in Indiana, including several large-scale clinics in which Meijer pharmacy teams will vaccinate up to 1,200 people in a single day.

Over the last four weeks, Meijer said it has held vaccine clinics at 13 of its stores throughout Indiana, administering nearly 6,000 vaccine doses in nine counties. Earlier this month, the company announced a series of COVID-19 vaccination clinics at stores in Michigan, through which it expected to administer up to 25,000 doses over the course of a week.

Since its first coronavirus vaccination clinic in Michigan early last month, Meijer said it has administered more than 90,000 doses across the Midwest, mainly to seniors. Overall, the retailer operates 256 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. 

Related:Biden administration expedites COVID-19 vaccine distribution to pharmacies

“I’m extremely proud of the amazing work our store and pharmacy teams have done to create a quick and efficient process for our vaccine clinics,” commented Jason Beauch, vice president of pharmacy at Meijer. “The importance of these clinics is not lost on our team members and patients. It’s a very emotional experience for everyone involved.”