Last week, it was announced that Walmart and their sister company Sam’s Club would be distributing up to 14,000 doses weekly of COVID-19 vaccines across the state with a notable exception of the Birmingham metro area.
Councilor Hunter Williams, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, reached out and began to meet with Walmart officials on Monday about the lack of locations in Birmingham. The retailer’s initial plan was to roll out vaccine distribution at 77 locations, which included most major metropolitan areas in Alabama along with rural communities with the goal of reaching underserved residents across the state.
“My colleagues and I on the Council, along with Mayor Woodfin’s administration, have been committed to finding resources and making them available to our residents over the course of this crisis. I’d like to thank them for these continued efforts on behalf of our residents,” Williams said.
In Birmingham, the state’s weekly vaccine allocation from the U.S. Department of Health is being administered as expeditiously as possible through our local partners at UAB and the Jefferson County Department of Health. The allocation to the Walmart vaccination program comes directly from the federal government and does not take away from, nor is it part of the weekly allocation to the state of Alabama.
Williams presented Walmart executives with data from the Jefferson County Department of Health’s COVID dashboard, showing Birmingham’s infection rate compared to other Alabama cities. Following these conversations, Walmart has identified 16 Birmingham metro area locations where staffing and other resources will be allocated to provide vaccinations as early as this Friday.
“Walmart is a name brand that’s recognized in almost every American household,” Williams said. “They are doing everything that they can to maximize their ability to get vaccines to underserved areas that might otherwise have slipped through the cracks. I cannot stress how thankful I am that Walmart was willing to come to the table and immediately recognize the importance of making sure there are locations in the Birmingham metro area helping serve our residents.”
Jefferson County residents should be able to start signing up this week on Walmart’s website.
The Birmingham area locations are as follows:
9248 PARKWAY E BIRMINGHAM, AL 35206
2780 JOHN HAWKINS PKWY, HOOVER, AL 35244
209 LAKESHORE PKWY, HOMEWOOD, AL 35209
1600 MONTCLAIR RD, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35210
3320 LORNA RD, HOOVER, AL 35216
312 PALISADES BLVD, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209
1300 MONTGOMERY HWY, VESTAVIA HILLS, AL 35216
3053 JOHN HAWKINS PKWY, HOOVER, AL 35244
201 LAKESHORE PKWY, HOMEWOOD, AL 35209
750 ACADEMY DR BESSEMER, AL 35022
890 ODUM RD GARDENDALE, AL 35071
5919 TRUSSVILLE CROSSINGS PKWY, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35235
1007 RED FARMER DR, HUEYTOWN, AL 35023
5940 TRUSSVILLE CROSSINGS BLVD, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35235
2473 HACKWORTH RD, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35214
1916 CENTER POINT PKWY, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35215