SEATTLE — As thousands of parents look to get their kids vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as this weekend, there is a new concern about the availability of appointments and how that could impact people still waiting for their booster shots.
Several Seattle area pharmacies expressed worry on how they're going to manage all the new child appointments in addition to the backlog of booster appointments for people 65 and over.
A quick check on the CVS website shows many locations still have a waiting list for boosters of at least a week out.
Some pharmacists that wanted to stay anonymous and didn't want to go on camera said that kids' appointments combined with their staffing shortages could make the next week touch and go.
CVS Corporate said over email they do have the capacity to handle all COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters.
"We also selected stores that have vaccinators solely focused on administering vaccines. All locations offering the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years of age will be fully staffed and trained for the new wave of eligibility," the email said.
So far, there are two CVS locations in Seattle authorized for the pediatric dose. Those are Westlake Ave N, 2nd Ave, and University Way NE. There is also one at N Landing Way in Renton. Walgreens has one location in Seattle and one in Federal Way.
Specific locations will pop up after a parent enters their child's birthday to verify age.
Cities and local school districts like Seattle Public Schools will lessen the burden on pharmacies, but until there are more doses available or more people administering the vaccine, appointments will likely be hard to schedule.
CVS says they encourage people to continue checking the website or app.