Walmart, Sam’s Club Giving COVID-19 Vaccine to Teens

Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies have joined forces with school districts to hold clinics where teenage students can get their COVID-19 shots in advance of summer. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was recently authorized for children ages 12 to 15.

Operated by the same pharmacy staffers who work in the retailers’ in-store pharmacies, the clinics “provide a familiar setting for adolescents to get vaccinated at their school, as well as a convenient location for parents,” noted Del Sloneker, SVP and COO, Walmart U.S. health and wellness, in an online post. 

According to Sloneker, Walmart and Sam’s Club have already coordinated vaccine clinics with local school districts throughout Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Pennsylvania, administering thousands of vaccines, with more clinics planned in the coming weeks.

“From bringing cold storage units on-site to safely transport the vaccines, to implementing a system to collect parental consent, to training our pharmacists to address vaccine hesitancy, we are working hard to make it safe, convenient and easy for people to get protected against COVID-19,” wrote Sloneker.

Beyond these clinics, those who want to get vaccinated can make an appointment at one of the retailers’ more than 5,100 pharmacies administering the vaccine, using the digital appointment scheduler at walmart.com/COVIDvaccine or samsclub.com/covid, or people can just walk into any Walmart or Sam’s Club pharmacy to get their shot. 

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart operates more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries, and e-commerce websites, employing 2.2 million-plus associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, while Walmart-owned Sam’s Club ranks No. 9 on the list.