Residents looking for a coronavirus vaccine will soon have 12 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores to choose from, says the company.
When the company receives the vaccine, in conjunction with New Jersey health officials, the retail giant will join six megacenters and 200 other locations in the state.
Walmart sites can help, after New Jersey faced criticism for slower deployment than dozens of other states, as it continues to deal with a second wave of the pandemic, according to data from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC).
The announcement is part of “Walmart’s expansion efforts at the request of the state to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to priority groups designated by the state,” Alexa Cangialosi, a spokesman for Walmart, said in a statement
“So far, we have about 100 stores and Sam’s Clubs in more than half a dozen states administering vaccines to those the state considers eligible, including here in New Jersey,” she said.
Stores and clubs in the following locations are preparing to administer vaccines to priority populations: Pleasantville, Toms River, North Brunswick, Burlington Township, Pennsville, Franklin, Garfield, Hamilton, Vineland, Linden, North Bergen and Boonton.
Vaccines are currently available to health professionals, long-term residents and other people living in the congregation, in addition to police and firefighters. Also included are anyone aged 65 and over and those aged 16 to 64 with specific medical conditions – including smokers.
Almost all state websites have asked people to pre-register on the state website. Many reported that they were able to make appointments several weeks away.
The announcement comes at a time when the state registers another 4,613 cases of coronavirus and 17 deaths on Sunday. It was on the same day that the state Department of Health issued new predictive models that showed that Sunday could be the peak of the state’s second wave of the pandemic.
Whether or not this collision occurs depends on how quickly New Jersey receives and distributes doses of the vaccine. Governor Phil Murphy said he wants 70% of the state’s eligible population – nearly 5 million people – to be vaccinated by May.
Walmart also has a website and store locator dedicated to the vaccine.
At full capacity, the company expects to be able to deliver 10 to 13 million doses per month across the country, when supplies and allocations allow, Walmart officials said in a statement.
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Larry Higgs can be reached at [email protected].