Meijer Plans to Give 25K COVID-19 Vaccinations in 1 Week
Meijer has revealed its goal to administer 25,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses by week's end at its Michigan stores. The retailer is preparing to launch a series of vaccine clinics geared toward supplying the vaccine to Michiganders age 65 years and older who have pre-registered through its vaccine registration process.
"We are very proud of the role our stores and pharmacies continue to play in this massive effort to vaccinate people against COVID-19," said Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes. "As a pharmacy partner to both the state of Michigan 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."
Meijer said last month that the state of Michigan chose the retailer as an initial pharmacy partner to administer vaccines at some of its stores in Wayne County under the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership Program.
Also, during the past few weeks, Meijer has conducted vaccine clinics in numerous other counties throughout the state, administering up to 1,200 vaccines in a single day at some stores. Since its first clinic on Jan. 15, the retailer has administered more than 20,000 doses in Michigan and more than 30,000 doses overall, primarily to seniors age 65 and older. This week's aggressive vaccine schedule is possible through partnerships with several counties and cities in Michigan, along with doses received from the state of Michigan and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
"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," said Jason Beauch, Meijer VP of pharmacy. "The importance of these clinics is not lost on our team members and patients — it's a very emotional experience for everyone involved."
Meijer's vaccine clinics aren't open to walkups. Participants must be registered through the retailer's online system to be scheduled for a vaccine. To register, patients can text COVID to 75049, go online at clinic.meijer.com, or visit their local Meijer pharmacy and ask to register. Meijer encourages anyone interested in receiving the vaccine to register, as it intends to eventually offer the vaccine to all Michiganders eligible via the CDC guidelines in the coming weeks and months.
The retailer isn't releasing the locations of the clinics, as registered customers will be contacted directly with an appointment time and location once an appointment window becomes available for them.
News of Meijer’s fast rollout comes at a time when the United States is experiencing a dip in COVID-19 cases, yet experts are warning that new variants of the virus are circulating in the country. Nearly 700 cases of COVID-19 variants first spotted in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the United States so far, according to data updated by the CDC.
Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meijer operates more than 256 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The company is No. 19 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
