Walmart, 929 E. State St., offers COVID-19 vaccinations for those eligible and began offering the Pfizer vaccine to those ages 12 to 15 on May 13, expanding its program.
On April 9, Walmart Inc., including Sams Club, began offering the COVID-19 vaccination and is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. The program is a collaboration between 21 national pharmacy partners and independent pharmacy networks as well as the federal government, states and territories to increase vaccination access across the U.S., according to the CDC website.
Walmart offers FDA-authorized vaccines through an appointment-only basis. Patrons can receive a vaccination at Walmart by making an appointment on the online scheduling site.
Mayor Steve Patterson welcomes the addition of another vaccination location in Athens, as it will help the deployment of the vaccine in both the city of Athens and the county.
“The more locations we have available for vaccine administration, the better,” Patterson said.
Patterson also acknowledged the benefits of another vaccination location within Athens, as it is the commerce seat of the county, he said.
Jack Pepper, an administrator at the Athens City-County Health Department, also believes the additional vaccination location is helpful.
“We are always glad to see others joining the vaccination effort,” Pepper said in an email. “Giving people the opportunity to have choice, particularly in rural areas, is fantastic.”
Despite the new vaccine location, however, there is still some hesitancy among Athens residents regarding the vaccine.
“We just completed a survey regarding vaccine hesitancy and the number one answer, by a long shot, was hesitancy the science/speed of development around the vaccine,” Pepper said in an email. “It has given us some great insight into how we can better focus our educational efforts to get people the best information possible so they can make an informed decision around their choice to get vaccinated.”
Patterson believes limited public transportation may be a factor impacting those who want to be vaccinated and live in more rural areas.
“I think that there needs to be more mobile shot clinics that go out into the more remote areas in the county,” Patterson said. “It's certainly a limiting factor I think for those … who would have challenges of getting into the city of Athens or Nelsonville or elsewhere that has vaccine administration going on.”
Ohio University has invited all students back to campus for the Fall Semester, and Walmart may be another choice for students looking to get vaccinated. With this option, the health department is optimistic many students will look there to receive their vaccine.
“We are hopeful that most students will have chosen to receive the vaccine before they return in the fall,” Pepper said in an email.
