Ocala, FL - One of the south's most prominent grocery store chains is teaming up with the state to open up additional COVID-19 vaccination sites around Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the partnership between Publix, the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM), and the Florida Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday (January 5th).
Thanks to the partnership, Publix is expected to receive around 15,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in order to launch a new pilot program. At the time of this writing, Publix plans to begin with 22 stores spread throughout Citrus, Hernando and Marion counties.
“At the end of the day, we are all in this together, and the state of Florida thanks Publix for their willingness to step up and lend their infrastructure to this critical cause.”
Appointments will open on Thursday (January 7th) with vaccinations beginning the following day. Individuals wishing to be vaccinated must fit the criteria listed in an executive order recently passed by Gov. DeSantis. Appointments can be made by visiting Publix's COVID-19 vaccine webpage.
At the moment, there is no word on if and when Publix plans to launch this program in the Volusia and Flagler area.
