Lem Turner Road Walmart’s switch from Moderna to Pfizer vaccine causes confusion for some seniors

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The Walmart store on Lem Turner Road on Jacksonville’s Northside will administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, according to a statement the company sent to News4Jax on Thursday.

The statement said Walmart will direct patients to the Pfizer vaccine at two locations in the nearby Moderna area to receive their second dose of Moderna vaccine. These places are the Walmart store at 6830 Normandy Blvd. and the store at City Square Drive 13227.

The statement also said Walmart pharmacists were reaching out to patients who had their first dose at the Lem Turner Road store to book their second dose of Moderna vaccine at the Normandy Boulevard store or at the City Square Drive appointment. to plan.

Northside resident Jacqueline Richardson, 71, said she and other family members were in a confusing situation when they learned they could not get their second dose of Modner COVID-19 vaccine at the Walmart location on Lem Turner Road. do not get.

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“I’m frustrated and know how to use a computer, but it made no sense to go through it all,” Richardson said.

Richardson said she and other family members in her age group received the first dose of Moderna vaccine on Feb. 18. According to them, they were instructed to go home and make an appointment online to receive their second dose.

‘When I go online to sign up, there are no appointments available. The next day I checked it out. “I waited until Monday, and I checked, and it said the same thing,” Richardson explained.

She called the store and said she was talking to a pharmacy company: “The governor pulled the Moderna vaccine and sent the Pfizer to them.”

She said the technician she spoke to could not help her and also sounded confused about what she should do.

“She said, ‘You can contact River City,'” Richardson said. “I told her I’m been there before, and it says the same thing online: no appointments are available.”

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Richardson said she contacted the Department of Health and was sent to the Florida vaccination website to look for Walmart sites where she could make an appointment for her second dose of Moderna vaccine.

“So there was nothing available in the city of Jacksonville,” she said. “The closest to us was in Leon County, that’s Tallahassee.”

She later learned that Edwards Waters College offers the Modern vaccine. She also learned that she and her family do not have to make an appointment – just show up.

RELATED: Where, How to Get COVID-19 Vaccines in Northeast Florida

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned people about mixing the vaccines, except for “extraordinary situations”, because not enough research has been done on the side effects of mixing the vaccines.

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Walmart’s corporate office later issued a statement to News4Jax stating:

‘The Lem Turner store will administer the Pfizer vaccine to serve even more people in our communities.

“As the Lem Turner store transitions from the Moderna to the Pfizer vaccine, we are directing patients to two nearby locations to receive their second doses of Moderna. These places are our store in Normandy (6830 Normandy Jax) and our airport store (13227 City Square Blvd Jax).

“Walmart pharmacists are reaching out to patients who had their first dose at Lem Turner to book their second vaccination in Moderna at one of the two stores above.”

Pfizer shots are given during a pop-up vaccination event that takes place outside the Walmart on Lem Turner Road from Thursday to Monday. Eligible patients can schedule an appointment at www.walmart.com/COVIDvaccine.