Starting Thursday night, eligible Oregonians were able to reserve appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at local Safeway and Albertsons stores.
The grocery chains just received shipments of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine. Starting at 5 p.m. Thursday, people could sign up on the pharmacy websites for Safeway or Albertsons. In the first few minutes of appointments opening up, the online sign-up portals were slow and did not always load. Vaccine appointments begin at stores Friday morning
Earlier in the day, the portal listed a two-dose option (presumably the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines) or the single-dose option from Johnson & Johnson.
The Oregonian reported Thursday morning that Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen told state legislators on Wednesday that the number of pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccinations is set to increase dramatically, with Bi-Mart stores in the state possibly offering vaccinations by Thursday and Walmart stores by this weekend.
As of Thursday morning, Bi-Mart’s website stated that, “at this time we are unable to provide specific information on COVID-19 vaccine availability, your eligibility, or scheduling.” On Walmart’s website, it stated that the “Walmart scheduler (for COVID-19 vaccine appointments) is currently not available in some locations.” The interactive map on the website did not show any availability in Oregon as of Thursday evening.
