NORFOLK, Va. — COVID-19 vaccine appointments filled up quickly at CVS pharmacies around Hampton Roads after the pharmacy said more would be available Thursday.
As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, all appointments to get a shot at any store around the region were 'fully booked' according to the CVS website.
A corporate spokesperson confirmed that all appointments had been filled for the week, but said more appointments would be available next week when the pharmacy is expected to get its next shipment of vaccines in Virginia.
The pharmacy's vaccine rollout didn't go over smoothly this week.
When getting CVS onboard for vaccinations, the Virginia Department of Health requested it to only schedule appointments for people who had pre-registered at their local health departments and were waiting their turns for a shot.
That didn't work, so VDH asked the pharmacy to open their schedule early and allow local health departments to register people themselves. However, CVS couldn't limit online access to just the health districts, so anybody online could sign up for an appointment which led to more confusion and frustration.
CVS said they're only giving shots to people ages 65 and over at this time even if they aren't registered with their local health departments.
Appointments are added on a rolling basis as they become available. The pharmacy gets 26,000 vaccine doses each week which are divided between the 36 stores that are offering appointments.
Vaccinations at CVS start on Friday.