Plus: A post-vaccine FAQ, a woman is arrested for allegedly starting 2018 Delta Fire, and thousands of California inmates to go free.
I m Winston Gieseke, philanthropy and special sections editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, wishing you a very safe, happy and informed Cinco de Mayo.
Informed? Yes. Many Americans think this fifth day in May celebrates Independence Day in Mexico, but it actually commemorates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. While not a major holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has become a popular commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage here in the United States, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. To learn more, head on over to USA TODAY.
CVS pharmacies are now accepting same-day COVID-19 vaccination appointments, and at some locations no appointment is necessary.
About 190 locations in Arizona are taking walk-ins, but appointments are also available within an hour of scheduling.
âWe continue to orchestrate an all-out effort to vaccinate the nation against COVID-19,â said CVS Health President and CEO Karen S. Lynch. âThanks to the dedication and effort of our colleagues, I am proud to say we helped achieve the Presidentâs accelerated 100-day goal of 200 million vaccines and have administered over 17 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to date. Our customers continue to give us high satisfaction scores based on their interactions with colleagues and our customer-centric digital approach for scheduling appointments.â
UpdatedThu, May 6, 2021 at 6:30 am PT
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Walk-in COVID-19 vaccines are available at CVS Health locations in California. (Shutterstock)
SANTA MONICA, CA CVS Health will now accept walk-in COVID-19 appointments at its locations across the country, including its Santa Monica locations.
The pharmacy announced Wednesday appointments will no longer be necessary. Same-day scheduling, including appointments as soon as one hour from the time of scheduling, will now be available online. You can check online to see if appointments are available or booked.
In Santa Monica, CVS Health is located at 1411 Lincoln Blvd. and 2505 Santa Monica Blvd.
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CVS Health can now vaccinate in more than 8,300 stores across 49 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. as of Wednesday. It has surpassed 17 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered through its participation in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program and Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, according to officials.
Walmart, Samâs Club offer walk-up COVID-19 vaccinations
Photo by iStock
Walmart and Samâs Club announced COVID-19 vaccines are available to customers and associates in their more than 5,100 pharmacy locations nationwide, including 115 pharmacies in Michigan.
Customers who schedule an appointment can complete pre-vaccination paperwork ahead of time.
Appointments can be made at Walmartâs website and Samâs Clubâs website. Walmart pharmacies are open seven days a week (Samâs Club pharmacies are closed on Sunday) and are administering the approved J&J, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Individuals are not required to be a member to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Samâs Club.
Abbott’s BinaxNOW test can be conducted at home without prescription
The Kroger Co. plans to sell an over-the-counter, rapid COVID-19 self-testing kit from health care products giant Abbott at its stores.
Kroger Health, the Cincinnati-based retailer’s health services arm, said yesterday that Abbott’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test will be available for purchase at all Kroger retail locations and, soon, at Kroger.com. Because BinaxNOW doesn’t require a prescription from a health professional, customers can perform the test in their own home as well as receive results within 15 minutes, since there’s no laboratory processing, Kroger Health noted.