Some Kroger stores to begin giving COVID-19 vaccines

WISH-TV | wishtv.com

Kroger Health on Wednesday announced it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at 45 Indiana pharmacies in 16 counties, including Hamilton County.

Participating locations for vaccinations at Kroger pharmacies can be found online.

Indiana State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said Kroger, along with Walmart and Meijer, had either begun to offer the vaccine or are preparing to offer it at select stores throughout the state.

Kroger spokesperson Eric Halvorson on Wednesday said the vaccination service doesn’t apply to all Kroger stores, only in counties suggested by the state health department. Those counties include:

  • Bartholomew
  • Boone
  • Delaware
  • Floyd
  • Hamilton
  • Hancock
  • Henry
  • Howard
  • Johnson
  • Kosciusko
  • La Porte
  • Madison
  • Monroe
  • Joseph
  • Tippecanoe
  • Vigo

Box, during Gov. Eric Holcomb’s weekly coronavirus briefing Wednesday, said eligible Hoosiers can make vaccination appointments online at ourshot.in.gov.

“As we add more and more vaccination sites, some of them will be using their own appointment registration system,” Box said. “…What this means is the state’s 211 call center can only help you make appointments at sites using the state’s sign-up system.”

For example, Kroger and Meijer are using their own appointment system, so eligible Hoosiers attempting to sign up via the 211 call center will not be able to select those sites.

Box said the number of Hoosiers getting vaccinated continues to climb. More than 477,000 Hoosiers had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday afternoon.

Indiana State Department of Health on Wednesday reported 40 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 9,470. A total of 617,176 Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19.