Albertsons kicks off walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations

Albertsons Cos. has begun providing COVID-19 vaccines on a walk-in basis at all of its more than 1,700 pharmacies nationwide.

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons said Tuesday that coronavirus shots are available at its Safeway, Vons, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Haggen and Carrs pharmacy banners with no appointment. Customers can still schedule appointments for COVID immunizations, however, via the company’s online reservation system at albertsons.com/COVID-19. Appointments can be set over a two-week window.

Overall, Albertsons Cos. has administered over 4 million COVID vaccinations since it started providing the vaccine in December.

Albertsons noted that it has continued to receive a steady supply of vaccines. The company participates as a national partner in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination, which allocates immunizations directly to pharmacy partners.

“We are committed to offering convenient and easy-to-access vaccination solutions for our customers,” Omer Gajial, senior vice president of pharmacy and health at Albertsons Cos., said in a statement. “As COVID-19 vaccine supply has improved, we are enabling walk-in vaccination solutions available across all our pharmacies.”

Albertsons Cos. reported that its pharmacies have administered more than 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to date. The grocer administered its first COVID vaccine doses, from Pfizer/BioNTech, in mid-December at a clinic in Alaska run by Carrs/Safeway pharmacists, and the retailer’s pharmacy teams topped the 1 million mark in COVID-19 vaccines administered in early March.

Related:Albertsons tops 1 million COVID-19 vaccinations

In response to slowing vaccination rates around the country — driven in part by COVID vaccine hesitancy among some Americans — Albertsons has started incentivizing shoppers to get immunized. The retailer said Tuesday that customers receiving a coronavirus vaccination from an Albertsons Cos. pharmacy will get a 10% off coupon for grocery purchase, up to $200.

The vaccine incentive was highlighted on Twitter last week by the White House. “Get a shot at @Albertsons, @Safeway, or @jewelosco and get 10% off your groceries,” said the May 4 tweet, which also mentioned a $5 Target coupon for COVID shots from a CVS at Target pharmacy and free Krispy Kreme doughnuts for those showing their vaccination cards at the doughnut-and-coffee chain.

“We're working with major businesses — like grocery stores, retailers and professional sports leagues — to offer special deals like discounts and promotions for people who get vaccinated. Follow along to see what getting your shots gets you,” the White House tweeted in the @WHCOVIDResponse thread.

Related:Stop & Shop, Publix, Hy-Vee go chainwide with COVID-19 vaccines

Through the early morning of May 11, 46.2% of the U.S. population had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 35.1% had been fully vaccinated, with 263.1 million vaccines administered of the 334.1 million delivered by manufacturers, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among seniors, 83.8% had received at least one dose (71.6% fully vaccinated), while 58.5% of Americans ages 18 and older had gotten at least one shot (44.7% fully vaccinated).