Walmart mistakenly gave COVID vaccine slots to at-risk Florida residents. What now?
Florida residents under 65 with health conditions that make them at risk for severe COVID complications were given the option to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through Walmart this week.
The move went against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order, which gives only hospital providers the option to vaccinate anyone it considers “to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19,” regardless of age.
Now the big-box retailer says it made a mistake. But the company still plans to honor those appointments, with vaccinations for seniors and healthcare providers set to begin Friday.
Walmart told the Miami Herald in an email late Thursday that the mix-up happened because its online scheduling program “defaulted to the criteria” listed on the Florida Department of Health’s website. Florida is currently allowing people 65 and older, healthcare workers with direct patient contact and long-term care facility residents and staff to get vaccinated.
The problem is that Walmart also listed an option for Florida residents “deemed to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by hospital providers” in its online appointment scheduler.
However, because of DeSantis’ executive order, people under 65 with “at risk” health conditions should not be vaccinated at Walmart, said Samantha Bequer, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state’s vaccine distribution plan.
DeSantis earlier this week also said during a news conference in Jacksonville that retailers wouldn’t be vaccinating people under 65 who have multiple health issues because “refereeing that is difficult.”
So, what happens now?
Walmart spokeswoman Rebecca Thomason told the Miami Herald in an email late Thursday: “We are honoring all appointments that have been made to date in all categories listed in the Executive Order.”
And yes, this includes appointments that were made for people under 65 with “at risk” health conditions. It’s unclear how many appointments Walmart mistakenly gave out and Thomason declined to give a figure.
Orlando state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith told the Orlando Sentinel he was assured by Jared Moskowitz, Florida’s emergency management director, that all appointments, including those made in error, would be honored.
Walmart also says it’s now working to align its scheduling system with “the specific populations the state has asked us to vaccinate under the federal retail pharmacy partnership.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 7:47 AM.
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