Some turned away at 2nd dose appointment because lack of vaccine at Walgreens

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some Channel 9 viewers said they’re showing up for their second dose appointments at Walgreens and being told there’s no vaccine available.

Now, they have just days to find new appointments because after that, it’s not clear how effective the COVID-19 vaccine will be.

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Madge Hopkins told Channel 9′s Tina Terry that she knows how challenging it can be to find a vaccine appointment.

“It was not easy to make an appointment and I have reasonable skills at navigating the computer and all,” she said.

Hopkins said she understands the frustration of the people who told us they made vaccine appointments at Walgreens stores, only to be turned away when trying to get their second shot.

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One viewer emailed us saying the Walgreens associate “stated that they didn’t have Moderna anymore. They called several stores and no one in the area had Moderna. The pharmacist told me I needed to find someone that had Moderna and I had up to 42 days after my first shot to get my second shot.”

Terry called and emailed Walgreens’ corporate office on Tuesday.

Walgreens claims they have fixed the issue resulting in second dose appointments being canceled. The pharmacy says they will be reaching out to impacted patients. https://t.co/PSOkKtJxau pic.twitter.com/jEY7rCeDLb
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) March 30, 2021

Walgreens sent the following response:

“We are aware of an issue with our scheduler where patients were booked for their second dose appointments at a location that does not have vaccines available by the same manufacturer. This issue with the scheduler has since been resolved. Team members are in the process of reaching out to impacted patients proactively to accommodate them and assist with rescheduling their appointments to align with current vaccine availability. We are committed to honoring all appointments and providing second doses to all patients. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people getting the Moderna vaccine should get their second shot within 28 days of the first, but your second dose may be given up to 42 days after the first dose if necessary.