Walmart is opening a pop-up drive-thru in South Florida for COVID vaccines
Walmart on Thursday will open a drive-thru vaccination site in Broward County for seniors 65 and older and healthcare workers with direct patient contact.
The big box retailer, which describes the site as a pop-up, will administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at its Lauderdale Lakes location, 3001 N. State Road 7. Other Walmart stores across the state will also open temporary drive-thru sites, including in Orlando and Jacksonville.
The vaccine is free, courtesy of taxpayers, and insurance is not required. People interested in scheduling a first-dose appointment at the Lauderdale Lakes location can call 833-886-0023 to check for availability.
Under Florida guidelines, long-term care facility residents and staff are also eligible to get the vaccine. And remember, while Florida has a statewide residency requirement in place, there is no county requirement. This means a Miami-Dade resident can get the vaccine in Broward or vice versa.
Second-dose appointments will be scheduled during the first appointment. Because the clinic is drive-thru, patients must be inside a vehicle to get their doses.
“We have two goals as we administer vaccines: first, to get as many shots in eligible arms as possible so we can start the process of reopening our country, and second, ensuring equitable vaccine access across the communities we serve,” Dr. Cheryl Pegus, Walmart’s executive vice president for Health and Wellness, said in a statement. “We will continue finding new ways to increase vaccination access for our customers as we work towards the eventual end of the pandemic.”
Walmart says the vaccination drive-thru clinics are part of its effort to help get vaccines in areas deemed to be most vulnerable to COVID-19.
“The team factored in demographic information, local health needs, staffing and medically underserved data to identify initial locations where the company thinks it can make the greatest impact in increasing vaccine access,” according to a news release about the initiative.
Walmart says it plans on running the drive-thru sites over the next several weeks, depending on vaccine availability.
There are more than 100 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores offering vaccines in Florida. It’s still unclear how many stores will be opening the pop-up drive-thru clinics.
To check for vaccine appointments at Walmart, visit walmart.com/COVIDvaccine. For Sam’s Clubs, visit samsclub.com/covid. Unless noted, you’ll have to walk into the store to get your dose the day of your appointment.
This article was updated to reflect the correct address of the Walmart store.
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 5:03 PM.
