Smith’s locations in St. George and Cedar City starting COVID-19 vaccinations

The outside of a Smith's Food and Drug store in Cedar City, Utah, May 2, 2015 | File photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Smith’s Food and Drug has announced it will begin administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people 70 years old and older starting on Thursday at its two St. George locations and its Cedar City store.

Smith’s Market on Bluff Street in St. George, Utah, seen on Nov. 6, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Mike Dale, a spokesperson for Smith’s, told St. George News that the St. George locations — at  20 N. Bluff St. and 565 S. Mall Drive — will be offering the vaccinations starting on Feb. 11, as will the Cedar City location at 633 S. Main St.

The vaccinations at Smith’s are only available for those ages 70 and over.

Appointments can be made at Smith’s website starting Wednesday. Dale didn’t specify what time the appointments would go online but cautioned that Smith’s supply will be limited.

“We encourage people to continually check Smith’s website for the appointment calendar to open up when we know how many vaccines Smith’s will receive,” he said.

On Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox announced the vaccine supply in Utah is expected to more than quadruple in the next three weeks after an increase in the state’s allotment from the White House. President Joe Biden also announced this week an expansion of vaccine shipments to include store pharmacies, creating the new opportunity for vaccine appointments at Smith’s and what is expected to be other pharmacies including Walmart and Walgreens in the coming weeks.

A masks required sign outside Smith’s Market on Bluff Street in St. George, Utah, seen on Nov. 6, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

The lack of vaccine supply has been the main cause of some frustrations among those trying to get appointments to receive the vaccine, with the spots filling up within minutes as soon as they have been released on Mondays.

Jaime Montuoro, Smith’s pharmacy director, said in a statement that getting the vaccine at Smith’s locations will be the same procedure as those who have received their flu shot there.

“Individuals interested in receiving the vaccine can expect their appointment to be as fast and simple as getting an annual flu shot — reserve an appointment online, receive your vaccination from a licensed healthcare professional and wait 15 to 30 minutes after receiving the vaccine to ensure the absence of any side effects,” Moutuoro said.

The Southwest Utah Public Health Department will continue conducting its own vaccination clinics. All slots for the first of two immunization shots are filled through Feb. 11 in most of the five local counties, though there are still first shot reservation slots available for Garfield County residents and second-shot reservations available in Iron, Beaver and Garfield counties at this link

Additional reservation slots will go online at 9 a.m. on Monday.

COVID-19 information resources

St. George News has made every effort to ensure the information in this story is accurate at the time it was written. However, as the situation and science surrounding the coronavirus continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data has changed.

Check the resources below for up-to-date information and resources.

 

 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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