More local pharmacies offering shots
Apr. 6—Eight places in Caldwell County offer vaccinations against COVID-19, the Caldwell County Health Department said.
Anyone over the age of 16 can now get vaccinated, but the availability of appointments varies. The Caldwell County Health Department, Caldwell UNC Health Care's vaccine clinic, Ingles Pharmacy, Medical Arts Pharmacy in Lenoir, Walgreens in Hudson, Walgreens in Lenoir, Walmart in Lenoir, and Walmart Neighborhood Market in Hudson all intend to offer the vaccine, but not all had appointments available Wednesday.
To schedule a vaccine appointment at the Caldwell County Health Department, call the health department at 828-426-8486 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Caldwell UNC Health Care is currently scheduling appointments for next week, said Rocky Brooks, director of marketing and public relations. The vaccine clinic will have the Pfizer vaccine in stock. To make an appointment, call 828-757-6487.
To sign up for a vaccine through Ingles, go to https://www.ingles-markets.com/vaccinations. Ron Freeman, the chief financial officer at Ingles, said in an email that vaccine availability is dependent on what is provided to Ingles from state and federal governments and is therefore constantly changing.
"Supply is still limited and deliveries are not consistent," he said.
If an individual who wishes to be vaccinated at Ingles does not have access to the internet, they may call their Ingles Pharmacy, Freeman said. The Ingles Pharmacy on Connelly Springs Road can be reached at (828) 726-6027.
Medical Arts Pharmacy in Lenoir will be offering vaccinations, but on Wednesday it had no first doses in stock, and its online scheduler at https://boonedrug.com/covid-vaccine said it was not possible to schedule appointments. Abbey Moss, a pharmacy technician, said that she hopes the pharmacy gets more vaccine soon.
Walgreens also has an online scheduler, but on Wednesday it said no appointments were available in the area. That scheduler can be found at https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19.
Walmart's scheduler listed appointments through Tuesday that were available. That scheduler can be found at https://www.walmart.com/pharmacy/clinical-services/immunization/scheduled.
Approximately 23% of Caldwell County residents have been at least partially vaccinated.
Two more deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday, bringing the total number of county residents who have died of the disease to 142.
One person was between 50 and 64 years old, and the other was between the 65 and 74. Both were hospitalized, and one was reported to have other health problems.
Anyone who needs to be tested for COVID-19 can contact the Caldwell County Health Department at 828-426-8520 to schedule a same-day testing appointment. Testing at the health department is free.
On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin accepting applications for reimbursement of funeral expenses for deaths related to COVID-19. Anyone who had COVID-19-related funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020 can call 844-684-6333 Monday through Friday to apply for financial help. More information can also be found at fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance.
Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 828-610-8721.
Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 828-610-8721.
