Police say a Smith's Grocery Store in Farmington has been deemed safe after a bomb threat was called in Friday afternoon. (Photo: Laura Seitz / KSL)
SALT LAKE CITY — Starting next week, 40 of the 53 Smith’s Food and Drug supermarkets in Utah will begin providing COVID-19 vaccinations to individuals 70 and older. Kroger, the parent company of Smith’s, is one of the federal government’s partners for vaccine distribution. (Moab City Market in Moab also works with Kroger, and the vaccines will be available there as well.)
The company said it will adhere to guidelines from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as local and state health departments for the distribution.
To begin, Smith’s Pharmacy Director Jaime Montuoro said each store will receive a minimum of 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine. Customers who make appointments on the Smith’s website will be able to check in at the pharmacy desk and be taken to a separate room to get the shots, which will be administered by a pharmacist or a trained technician.
They’ll need to wait 15 minutes or longer afterward to be sure they’re not experiencing a reaction to the vaccine. After that, they can go. Because appointments will be spread throughout the day, Montuoro said customers shouldn’t expect big crowds or lines.
Each store will receive more vaccine doses as they become available.
“I’m the most excited as I’ve been in my career” about the opportunity to serve the community by providing COVID-19 vaccinations, Montuoro said. “Pharmacists are perfectly positioned to help with something like this, so it’s just a great moment to be a part of this, but more importantly to end the pandemic and get us back to life as we knew it.”
The website for appointments is smithsfoodanddrug.com/covidvaccine. Customers can make appointments starting Wednesday, Feb. 10.