Walmart’s Lem Turner Road change from Modern vaccine to Pfizer vaccine causes confusion for some seniors

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

The statement said that as the 12100 Lem Turner Road store moves from the Modern vaccine to the Pfizer vaccine, Walmart is directing patients to two nearby locations to receive their second dose of Modern vaccine. These places are the Walmart store at 6830 Normandy Blvd. and the 13227 City Square Drive store.

The statement also states that Walmart pharmacists are contacting patients who received the first dose at the Lem Turner Road store to schedule the appointment for the second dose of the Modern vaccine at the Normandy Boulevard store or at the City Square location. Drive.

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 the Modern COVID-19 vaccine at the location of Walmart on Lem Turner Road.

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“I’m frustrated and I know how to use the computer, but it didn’t make sense to go through all that,” Richardson said.

Richardson said on Feb. 18, she and other relatives in her age group received the first dose of the Modern vaccine. She said that after receiving the shot, they were instructed to return home and make an online appointment to receive their second dose.

“When I went online to sign up, I was told there were no appointments available. The next day I checked that it said the same thing. I waited until Monday, I checked it and it told me the same thing,” Richardson explained.

He called the store and said he spoke to a pharmacy technician who said, “The governor had withdrawn the Modern vaccine and was sending them the Pfizer.”

She said the technician she was talking to couldn’t help her and also seemed confused about what to do.

“He said, ‘You can check with River City,'” Richardson said. “I told him I already checked in and he says the same thing online: no appointments available.”

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Richardson said she contacted the health department and was directed to the Florida vaccine website to look for Walmart sites where she could book an appointment for her second dose of the Modern vaccine.

“So there were none available in the city of Jacksonville,” he said. “The closest thing to us was in Leon County, which is Tallahassee.”

He later learned that Edwards Waters College offered the Modern vaccine. She also knew that she and her relatives should not make an appointment, they just need to show up.

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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned people about the vaccine mix, except in exceptional situations, because there has not been enough research on the side effects of the vaccine mix.

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The Walmart corporate office later issued the statement to News4Jax saying:

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

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

“Walmart pharmacists are contacting patients who received their first dose at Lem Turner to schedule their second vaccination appointment against Moderna at one of the two stores listed above.”

Pfizer shots will be fired at an emerging vaccination event that will take place Thursday through Monday in front of Walmart on Lem Turner Road. Eligible patients can schedule an appointment at www.walmart.com/COVIDvaccine.