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Hy-Vee goes chainwide with COVID-19 vaccinations

Midwestern grocer expands immunization capabilities with allocation of more doses

Russell Redman

April 1, 2021

2 Min Read
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Hy-Vee has started administering coronavirus shots in its eighth state, Wisconsin, reaching all of its over 270 pharmacies with the vaccineHy-Vee

Hy-Vee has made COVID-19 vaccines available at all of its 270-plus pharmacy locations across its Midwestern market area.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee said yesterday that it began administering coronavirus immunizations this week in its eighth state — Wisconsin — via the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccinations, which allocates doses of the vaccine directly to pharmacies.

Previously, Hy-Vee had been a national partner in the federal program in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota, receiving COVID vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The food and drug retailer said it’s also administering COVID shots in Illinois with vaccines supplied by the state.  

“Hy-Vee’s rapid COVID-19 vaccine expansion has allowed us to reach key communities in both urban and rural areas across the Midwest,” Chairman, CEO and President Randy Edeker said in a statement. “Leveraging our team of more than 2,700 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, our fleet of Hy-Vee Healthy You Mobiles and our strategic partnerships that we have built with local organizations, we have been able to make great strides in helping protect our communities from this pandemic.”

Hy-Vee is providing COVID-19 vaccinations at no charge to eligible patients who register for an appointment at hy-vee.com/covidvaccine. Those using the online scheduler also can make an appointment for a second dose — if receiving the two-shot Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine — when they schedule their first dose.

Related:Hy-Vee gears up for its biggest COVID-19 vaccine clinic yet

Overall, Hy-Vee operates more than 275 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Along with its approximately 270 in-store and freestanding pharmacies, the chain has more than 70 in-store retail health clinics.

Hy-Vee noted that it’s also working with hundreds of facilities to organize workplace vaccination clinics for frontline essential workers and, as state eligibility allows, other workplace employees. Earlier this week, the company said that on Saturday in downtown Des Moines it plans to hold its largest community clinic to date, providing COVID-19 vaccines for 3,500 area residents.

Along with shots, Hy-Vee offers free COVID-19 lab testing (molecular PCR), rapid antigen COVID-19 testing and rapid antibody testing to check for past COVID-19 infection. Patients can visit hy-vee.com/covidtesting to schedule a test appointment.

And in another health care hiring push, Hy-Vee said it’s searching for more than 1,000 pharmacy technicians to help with COVID-19 testing and vaccine administration as more doses become available. Besides a range of competitive benefits, including a 10% employee discount, competitive pay and flexible scheduling, technicians who assist with the rapid antigen COVID-19 tests are eligible to receive a bonus, the company added.

Related:Hy-Vee set to launch rapid antibody COVID testing

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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