All vaccines are administered by Giant's certified in-store pharmacists and require no advance appointment.
Giant Food now has all the vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at its 153 in-store pharmacies. The grocer had suspended all non-essential services such as these vaccines earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Now it is more critical than ever for individuals to take preventative measures to protect themselves and their communities from sickness and staying up-to-date with recommended vaccines is an important first step," says Paul Zvaleny, Giant Food's director of pharmacy operations. "After pausing non-urgent services in April, we are looking forward to offering vaccinations to our customers and continuing to do our part to keep our communities healthy while following social distancing guidelines and strict safety procedures."
Available vaccinations include those that provide protection against pneumonia, shingles, tetanus, hepatitis, human papillomavirus (HPV), and influenza (influenza available August 2020).
Giant Food says its pharmacies have put in place social distancing measures, increased disinfection procedures and additional screening processes to help make receiving immunizations safe. The in-store pharmacists will have personal protective equipment — face masks, face shield and gloves.
Giant Food is based in Landover, Md., and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Parent company Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 11 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2020 list of the top food retailers in North America.