Day 1 Of Covid 19 Vaccinations At Roosevelt Island Duane Reade (Walgreens) Pharmacy - It's Easy Peasy And Everyone Should Do It Says Resident

Day 1 of Covid-19 vaccinations at the Roosevelt Island Duane Reade (Walgreens) Pharmacy began today. 

What was the Roosevelt Island Covid 19 vaccination process like today? According to one resident who received the vaccine this morning:

In-person signup at Duane Reade on Monday morning. Easy online registration early Tuesday morning, with clear info for 1st & 2nd appointment and  confirmation number. Only confusing moments were not receiving the confirmation email & instructions until yesterday morning And Duane Reade NOT calling back as promised. 

I was checked in quickly & someone gave me a chair so I could sit while I waited before and after my shot. Several folks arrived way too early for their appointments while I was waiting. A little claustrophobic for me, but was OK.

Christina (Pharmacist) & Sonia (Long time Pharmacy assistant) were terrific. Despite a few grumpy neighbors. 

Arm a little sore. Feeling OK so far. Took a total of about 45 minutes. 

Of all the awful experiences I’ve had wth NY State & NYC sites, both on line & phone, this Duane Reade/Walgreens experience was the easiest yet.

Someone ought to get this crew a bunch of lobster rolls this Monday from Cousins Maine Lobster Food Truck.

Roosevelt Island resident Vicki Feinmel received the vaccination this afternoon at Duane Reade. Ms Feinmel said getting the vaccine was:

Easy Peasy

and encourages everybody to get vaccinated  

Click here to make your online appointment.

 According to Rina Shah, Walgreens group vice president of pharmacy operations and services.

We are excited about this next milestone in the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program. The federal government and CDC have allotted pharmacies COVID-19 vaccine so we can immunize our most vulnerable populations. Individuals can find out if they’re eligible and book appointments through Walgreens vaccine scheduler available through our app or online. It’s important people understand vaccine inventory is still limited and appointments go fast, so please be patient as inventory builds in the coming weeks and months.

Walgreens was one of the first pharmacies to begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations in December. We have already provided more than 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations across long-term care facilities and other vulnerable populations and we look forward to leveraging our experience to support the federal government and CDC in expanding access to these vaccines.

A Walgreens corporate spokesperson adds:

Walgreens is currently allocated a total of 18,600 doses per week in New York City and 10,700 doses per week in New York State. Initially, vaccine inventory remains very limited and available to eligible individuals only. The federal government is allocating 1 million doses across the entire effort and Walgreens gets an allocation of those doses. This allocation is expected to remain consistent over the next month and we continue to work with the CDC as inventory continues to build. 

This phase of the program is designed to engage the system in a limited way to ensure the infrastructure is ready for large scale implementation when vaccine supply increases. 

We will continue to provide updates and additional information about the program as they become available.

More info at Walgreens Covid newsroom and click here for an online vaccination appointment. Roosevelt Island Duane Reade website here