Albertsons expands COVID-19 pharmacy services, surpasses 6M vaccinations
As Albertsons marks a COVID-19 vaccination milestone, the Boise, Idaho-based retailer is growing the arrange of coronavirus-related services on offer at its pharmacies. The company said it has administered more than 6 million COVID-19 vaccinations at its 1,700 pharmacies, and it is adding digital vaccine records and rapid antigen self-tests to its service lineup as it rolls out more solutions to schedule and access a vaccination appointment.
“As front-line healthcare providers, our pharmacy teams have been heroic in administering millions of vaccinations to our customers across the country and providing them with critical information and solutions during these unprecedented times,” said Omer Gajial, Albertsons senior vice president of pharmacy and health. “With these enhancements, we are proud to be able to offer local communities new resources to help keep them safe and make informed decisions about their health as we continue to navigate through this public health crisis together.”
In the next few days, Albertsons said it would be emailing patients who got vaccinated against COVID-19 at an Albertsons banner pharmacy with instructions for how to access their digital vaccine records. The company noted the record is able to be downloaded and saved to a digital device once it is accessed.
Albertsons also is offering an OTC rapid COVID-19 testing option. Pharmacies across the company’s banners are stocking Abbott’s BinaxNow COVID-19 Antigen Self Test, which can be used by people with or without symptoms who may have been exposed to COVID-19. The test kit, which can be used on children as young as 2 years old, offers results in as little as 15 minutes.
With these efforts, Albertsons is working to make vaccinations more accessible, both in terms of scheduling and transportation. The retailer is partnering with Moderna to sponsor a COVID-19 vaccine map on Nextdoor to help users locate nearby vaccine appointment locations, which directs users to the Albertsons scheduling tool where they can schedule their first and second doses scheduled and confirmed.
At the same time, Albertsons and Lyft have teamed up to offer a Lyft discount code when a patient makes a vaccination appointment with Albertsons’ online scheduler (excluding New York and New Jersey). Additionally, patients receive a 10% off coupon for a grocery purchase once they receive their vaccination at a participating Albertsons store. Participating banners are Safeway, Vons, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Haggen and Carr’s.