We have been hearing about and reporting on the frustrations of trying to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Just this week, when the state opened up eligibility to those 65 years and older, it was a mad dash to get online and vie for a shot at a shot.
We likened it to signing up for the Race to Robie Creek where thousands try to get into a limited number of spots.
For example, the state of Idaho is now getting about 21,000 doses of the vaccine a week.
St. Luke's had 1,500 of those doses available Monday morning. The appointments to were filled in just 8 minutes.
So, yeah…the supply has not kept up with demand.
And it's not just St. Luke's.
All the public health districts and major healthcare providers were jammed.
We heard all about the problems people were having with navigating the system just to sign up.
But we also heard the success stories.
Jackie and Phil texted and said...
"Sooooo, Brian. Did you know that Albertsons has a signup website? We have an appointment on Wednesday."
Congratulations, Jackie and Phil!
Yes, even the private companies and pharmacies are trying to get people vaccinated.
Albertsons already gives out other vaccines, so why not the coronavirus version?
But just like everywhere else, they are beholden to government entities that provide those doses to the states and health districts.
And just like everywhere else, those appointments at Albertsons are filled about as fast as they become available.
Nikki Price is Albertsons Director of Pharmacy Operations for the Intermountain Division. “The availability at Albertsons currently is based on the allocation that we're receiving from our local jurisdictions,” Price said.
“Are you guys having trouble keeping up with demand?” asked Brian Holmes.
“So there certainly is a high demand for the COVID vaccine,” Price said. “There is definitely a higher demand than there is supply currently.”
“Do you know how far out you guys are booked?” asked Brian.
“So, we only book appointments based on availability of our vaccine,” she replied. “So for example, if we got a thousand doses in, we're going to make a thousand appointments.”
“When do you know how many you will have available, like say, tomorrow will you get a shipment or how does that work?” asked Brian.
“Currently we are working very closely with our health department partnerships, so they know on a weekly basis how much they're going to get from the state,” Price said. “As soon as we know we start putting appointments available. Unfortunately, there isn't like a certain day of the week that we necessarily know.”
“You get what you get, you turn it around and give it to the customer, and it should be there if they sign up for it?” asked Brian.
“That's absolutely right. So if you sign up for an appointment, you have a confirmed appointment, you will definitely get your vaccine,” she said.
“There's a lot of talk about holding back doses for that second round for a lot of people. Is Albertsons doing anything like that or are they just getting them out, the first round?” asked Brian.
“The way the whole second round dose supply works is that we don't get all of our shipments at the same time, so for example if we're told we're going to get a thousand shots, a thousand-shot allocation, we get 500 up front and then we get 500 like three and a half weeks later,” Price said. “So, if it's the Pfizer vaccine, we're getting it about two and half weeks later. If it's Moderna, we're getting it like three, three and a half weeks later.”
“And so basically just keep checking back with the website?” asked Brian.
“Right. I urge you to be patient. Know that as soon as we have vaccine available, we're going to be putting appointments up there, but check back frequently,” she said.
Price told us that in Idaho, Albertsons has distributed more than 10,000 doses of the COVID vaccine since they started around the first of the year.
That's 10,000 of the more than 100,000 doses the state accounts for so far.
She says once they know how many they will be getting, and once they know those doses are in-store, it's just a couple of clicks on a computer and those appointments go live. So keep checking back frequently.
There's no charge for the shot other than an administration fee that is covered by insurance.
No insurance? That's OK, it will be taken care of.
She also told us this past fall flu season was a big one, so it helped them prepare for the high volume they are dealing with right now.
But as she said that was a sprint, this is going to be a marathon.
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