"One of the things that President Biden has made very very clear is that things are not working well. Don't deny it, don't run away from it—try and fix it," said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a Washington Post Live event. "And that's exactly what we're trying to do. If you look at the national strategy for COVID-19 part of that is trying to expedite the distribution."
In order to do that, Dr. Fauci says more vaccines need to be available and there needs to be better collaboration between governmental bodies. "The federal government [is] not going to fix this alone, nor are the states going to do it if you just leave them on their own without any help," he says. "What that's going to be is a cooperation and collaboration and a synergy between the feds and the states."
To get the country to the point where the COVID-19 vaccine has a smooth rollout and is accessible, Dr. Fauci says three things have to happen:
- Community vaccine centers have to be set up.
- The pharmacies need to be much more involved.
- Mobile units need to be available to get out into relatively inaccessible areas, like pharmacy deserts.
"All of that is being implemented now," says Dr. Fauci. "You will see in the next few weeks a much bigger [escalation] of the capability of getting vaccine into people's arms."
Many pharmacies throughout the country have already started to scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointments. And grassroots initiatives have sprung up to make scheduling easier. For example, in New York City, a software engineer built Turbovax, a site that consolidates sign-ups for vaccines and tweets out notifications for available appointments. Eligibility requirements vary from state to state, so check your state's requirements to find out if you qualify at this time. If you are eligible, browse the below non-government sites where you can sign up for an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Where to find a COVID-19 vaccine appointment
1. CVS Pharmacies
CVS is currently offering COVID-19 vaccines at select pharmacies in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. They are also partnering with Target to administer vaccines in dressing rooms.
Click here to find appointment availability.
2. Walgreens Pharmacies
Walgreens is currently offering COVID-19 vaccines at select pharmacies in Arkansas, California (select counties), Connecticut, Chicago, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa (select counties), Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, New York City, Ohio, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Texas.
Click here to find appointment availability.
3. Albertsons
Albertsons Companies (Albertsons, Albertsons Market, Amigos, Andronico's Community Markets, Lucky, Market Street, United Express, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs) are offering COVID-19 vaccine appointment in many states.
Click here to find appointment availability.
4. H-E-B
H-E-B is offering COVID-19 vaccines at locations throughout Texas.
Click here to find appointment availability.
5. Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is currently offering COVID-19 vaccines at pharmacies in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
Click here to find appointment availability.
6. Kroger
Kroger is currently offering COVID-19 vaccines in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Texas, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Click here to find appointment availability.
7. Sam's Club
Sam's Club is currently offering COVID-19 vaccines in Arkansas, Chicago, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Click here to find appointment availability.
8. Walmart
Walmart is currently offering COVID-19 vaccines in Arkansas, Chicago, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Click here to find appointment availability.
9. Zocdoc
Zocdoc is currently connecting patients to providers for COVID-19 vaccines in Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, and Massachusetts.
Click here to find appointment availability.
Watch a biochemist explain how vaccines work:
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