At Publix, will you be in a long line to get COVID vaccine? Here’s how the process works
Publix joins other vaccination sites across Florida that have been inundated with appointments, even though the grocer is administering the vaccine in 261 Florida stores.
According to Publix’s website, all of its appointments have been claimed across the 20 counties stores are offering the vaccine. Publix is asking those seeking a vaccine to check back on its website after 6 a.m. on Jan. 29 for more appointments.
South Florida locations offering the Moderna vaccine include supermarkets in Palm Beach County and Islamorada and Key West in Monroe. Miami-Dade and Broward stores have yet to come on board.
Florida’s new statewide residency requirement means seniors 65 and older will have to bring a Florida driver’s license, identification card or some other form of residency like a mortgage statement, utility bill or official mail.
How the vaccination process works at Publix
We had to wonder: If people are getting COVID vaccines at Publix where do they park? How many people can fit into a store at one time? Will your local Publix parking lot look like Tropical Park on the first day the Miami-Dade park gave out vaccines?
Apparently, it’s not like that.
▪ Appointments can only be made online at publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida. Appointments made on Jan. 22 will be filled from Saturday, Jan. 23, to Wednesday, Jan. 27.
▪ “A customer should then go to their confirmed pharmacy on the date and time of their appointment,” Brous said. “As we started this process, stores may have a check-in table for convenience and a pharmacy team member will direct the next steps.”
Since Publix is making appointments and only providing between 100 to 125 injections per day per store that eliminates long lines or a mad rush into the property, Brous said. “Crowds have not been an issue,” she said.
What has been an issue is managing to get an appointment, but that has been a problem everywhere as demand exceeds supply. You’ll have an easier time snagging a Publix Chicken Sub at the deli until more doses reach the public.
▪ Publix is giving the doses inside the stores at the pharmacies, much like the way they dispense the flu shots and other vaccines. So approach the area the way you would for any other pharmacy need. But no gift cards with the COVID shots like they were offering with flu shots this season. No drive-thrus, either.
Also, as in other sites that administer the vaccines, it’s recommended that you wait 15 minutes after receiving the injection to make sure everything is OK. At hospitals, for instance, there are designated waiting rooms.
Publix has taken this into account, too, Brous said.
“We do have additional seats that extend into the aisle at store locations for social distancing purposes. Customers are encouraged to stay in the store, either in the seated area or shopping. This way, if a reaction were to occur, there would be associates around to assist. And we still administer other vaccines as well.”
So far, Publix is administering coronavirus vaccines in these counties: Bay, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Escambia, Flagler, Hernando, Lee, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Okaloosa, Palm Beach, St. Johns, Santa Rosa, Volusia and Walton.
▪ Make sure you bring a photo ID to prove your age and who you are. This is the rule everywhere, not just Publix.
▪ Publix automatically makes the customer’s second appointment, set for four weeks later, same day of the week, same time and same location. If customers choose to select a different location, they will need to make an appointment on the Publix website, Brous said.
According to Publix, if you need to receive your second dose at a different location than the first, you will need to wait until the digital reservation system is open again to schedule another appointment. If you do so, there is no need to cancel your original second dose appointment.
▪ If a person got their first dose at a hospital or other site, we wondered if they could then go to Publix for the second. Presuming you received Moderna and it was four weeks prior, then yes, you can. “There is a question on the website that asks if it is their first dose. If not, we know they received a first dose at a different location,” Brous said.
▪ There is no means to cancel an appointment. If you can’t make it, just don’t show up. But you’d then have to make a new appointment.
▪ Appointments can’t be transferred to another person.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 2:55 PM.
