NEWS: Two Major Retailers in Florida Will Start Distributing COVID Vaccines Next Week

It’s been over a year since the coronavirus pandemic first hit the United States, but there’s good news! A vaccine has arrived, and slowly but surely, people are getting inoculated.

COVID-19 vaccination tents are set up in the north of the Toy Story parking lot at the Disneyland Resort on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

In a big move to amp up the vaccination efforts, today the White House announced that major retailers across America, including Florida, will begin administering the vaccine soon, getting doses directly from the federal government.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies in Florida will begin administering vaccines through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. The effort will begin as soon as late next week.

©Walmart

In addition to Florida, Walmart and Sam’s Club will be administering vaccines in 21 other states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Louisiana, and Wyoming.

Flight from Orlando

Publix, Kroger, Costco, Albertsons, and Winn-Dixie will also be administering the COVID vaccine in Florida as a part of this program. Major retailers like CVS and Walgreens are also participating in the retailer rollout of the vaccine, just not in the Sunshine State (yet).

©Publix

As of now, Florida is prioritizing certain populations for the vaccine. Residents must be: Persons 65 years of age and older, Health care personnel with direct patient contact, Residents and staff of long term care facilities, or Persons deemed to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by hospital providers. Appointments may be required, and vaccine availability will vary. You can find the nearest vaccination site to you in Florida here.

©The Florida Channel | Courtesy of WTVT

So, what does this mean for your next trip to Disney World? Well, first of all, it should be noted that even people who have been vaccinated MUST wear face masks while at the theme parks, Disney Springs, or while in public areas of resort hotels, except for when eating or drinking while stationary and socially-distanced from others. Rules will differ at Disney’s Blizzard Beach when the water park reopens next month.