Publix won’t give J&J for now. What that means for your Wednesday booking chances
Publix will open its Florida online appointment scheduler as usual on Wednesday — with a change. Instead of offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the supermarket will be going with Moderna.
The Lakeland-based grocery chain made the announcement Tuesday, just hours after the CDC and FDA called for a “pause” in the use of J&J while reports of rare blood clots are investigated. It later confirmed to the Miami Herald that its online portal would still open Wednesday, but to book Moderna shots.
Its online portal also opened Tuesday afternoon and appeared to have a limited amount of Moderna appointments available in select Florida counties. The portal usually opens on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Other pharmacies have also temporarily halted J&J vaccinations. The J&J pause has also affected Florida’s homebound vaccination program, its mobile vaccine units and its four federally supported vaccine sites. The FEMA-supported sites have now pivoted to second-dose Pfizer shots only, including the one at Miami Dade College North campus.
Remember, the Moderna vaccine is for people 18 and older and requires two shots, 28 days apart. Normally, appointments that are booked on Wednesdays through Publix are for the weekend.
Publix has not said if Wednesday’s scheduling pivot to Moderna will affect its ability to open the online portal on Friday, which is when it usually schedules Moderna appointments.
This article will be updated.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 5:07 PM.
