Safeway Now Offering Pfizer Boosters To Eligible Washingtonians

SEATTLE — If you're looking for a place to schedule your COVID-19 booster shot, you might check around at your local Safeway. The grocery giant on Tuesday announced it had begun offering free Pfizer booster shots to eligible patients who had their last shot 6 or more months ago.

Under the Washington State Department of Health's guidance, patients should seek a booster shot six months after finishing the two-dose Pfizer series if they:

• Are 65 years old or older.
• Are 18 years old or older and live in a long-term care facility.
• Are 50 to 64 and have underlying medical conditions or increased risk of social inequities.

Patients who are 18 to 49 years old with underlying medical conditions or people 18 to 64 who are at higher risk of transmission because of their occupation or living arrangements can also choose to take the Pfizer booster shot.

Boosters have only been approved for patients who have taken the Pfizer vaccine. Boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines may be announced in the following weeks, the DOH said.

Safeway says it is allowing prescheduled and walk in appointments for booster shots at all of its pharmacy locations. You can schedule an appointment to receive a booster shot online through Safeway's website.

Safeway is not the only pharmacy to jump on the booster train: on Friday, CVS announced it too would be making boosters available to eligible patients.

"We have the experience and the infrastructure to play a leading role in administering booster shots to eligible populations," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., MPH, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health. "We also continue to make it as convenient as possible for the unvaccinated to receive their first doses."