The Publix portal for senior citizens and others who qualify to book COVID-19 appointments opened Friday morning for a new round of signups with changes designed to make the experience better.
Within 90 minutes, the 47,000 available slots still filled up, just as they had during reigistration windows over the last few weeks.
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Earlier this week, Publix added its stores in Nassau County to the chain’s locations in St. Johns and Flagler counties to the list where vaccines are available. Other Northeast Florida stories are not yet providing the shots.
Publix is opening booking windows at 7 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. as the grocery chain has done in past sign-up windows. The next appointment window opens at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Those who go online may notice some changes made to help users distinguish between the waiting page and the booking page. Since the system can only host a limited amount of traffic, certain users are directed to a booking page to make an appointment when the portal opens and several thousand more are sent to a waiting page.
“Some customers have been confused by this experience,” Publix director of communications Maria Brous told WKMG-TV. “Customers will now have a very clear visual at the top of their screen indicating they are waiting. The page will continue to refresh automatically every minute. If room opens in the digital reservation system, the webpage will transition to the booking page, and customers will be directed to click a button to book an appointment.”
If you are lucky enough to get past the waiting room, the clock is ticking on entering all the required information before all the appointments are gone. Publix recommends having the following information ready before attempting to sign up: date of birth, physical address, email address, Medicare ID number (if applicable), state and county, and emergency contact name and number. In addition, please be ready to answer questions about your allergies and long-term health history.
Once you answer all those questions, you’ll be asked to pick a store. If you’re willing to travel to another Publix further away, even in another county, your odds of finding an open time slot increase. For instance, Publix stores with pharmacies in Volusia and Marion counties are likely within an hour or two-hour drive that you might be willing to make. (Full list of stores offering vaccines)
Another new feature starting Friday is that users will be notified when the reservations are fully booked so they know to try again another day. Over the past several sign-up windows, all available appointments have been booked within 90 minutes.
“As opposed to waiting without the ability to book an appointment, those who receive this notification can carry on with their morning activities. There is more demand for the vaccine than available supply, and we understand that’s frustrating. There will be more scheduling opportunities and we encourage those who don’t get an appointment to check back for the next opportunity,” Brous said.
Again, the booking window opened at 7 a.m. Friday. Go to publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida to get in line.
Publix offers COVID-19 shots at 325 stores in 23 counties. There’s no word on when Publix might add vaccine availability to stories in Jacksonville.
Select Winn-Dixie pharmacies are to begin offering vaccines next Thursday, but the list of locations participating is not yet available.