COVID-19 FAQs. Find Out When You Can Get Your COVID Booster | Randalls

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COVID-19 FAQs

Vaccines & Boosters

All Albertsons Companies pharmacies offer COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots.

Most individuals 5+ are eligible for a booster dose five months after completing their 2nd dose. However, immunocompromised individuals are eligible for an additional booster three months after their 3rd dose. Anyone 50+ or 12+ and immunocompromised or received Janssen COVID-19 vaccine as their first dose and booster dose is now recommended to receive a 2nd booster vaccination of Pfizer or Moderna four months after their 1st booster.

You are recommended to receive a second booster shot of Pfizer or Moderna 4 months after your first booster if:

  • You are 50+
  • You are 18-49 and received Johnson & Johnson as your first dose and booster dose
  • You are 12+ and immunocompromised

All Albertsons pharmacies are federal partners and offer the vaccines supplied by the federal government, including Pfizer and Moderna.

Data has not been published on the persistence of booster doses, so that length of time is currently unknown. However, studies have shown that vaccine efficacy wanes over time.

Yes. Our pharmacy only uses vaccines approved for use under an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

All vaccines have side effects, which vary from person to person. Some of the most common side effects are fever, injection site pain, swelling and/or redness, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills and nausea.

Yes, all eligible individuals can schedule an appointment online.

Use the link in your confirmation email or text message to reschedule or cancel your appointment.

You can use the online scheduler to make your appointment.

Yes, since there is no interaction between the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, it is safe and effective to get multiple vaccines in one appointment.

Yes, kids aged 5+ are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines and boosters by appointment.

Testing

You can shop for at-home COVID-19 tests at any pharmacy location and select stores without a pharmacy.
You can also schedule a proctored COVID-19 molecular (NAAT) test, available at most of our pharmacies for $99 for asymptomatic patients only.

The proctored service provides electronic results in as little as 20 minutes.

The proctored molecular COVID-19 test costs $99, and we are currently unable to bill your insurance directly for this service.

At-home COVID-19 tests can be purchased in-store, online or through our mobile app for DriveUp & Go™ or delivery. At-home COVID-19 tests are kept at or near the pharmacy area. If you have prescription drug coverage, stop by the pharmacy to see if you can get at-home COVID-19 tests through your insurance at a $0 out of pocket cost. Most insurance companies are covering up to 8 at-home COVID-19 tests every month.

A Nucleic Acid Amplification Test, or NAAT, is a type of viral diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NAATs detect genetic material (nucleic acids). NAATs for SARS-CoV-2 specifically identify the RNA (ribonucleic acid) sequences that comprise the genetic material of the virus. A PCR test is a type of NAAT test.

Antibody tests detect viral proteins, and function best when more of the virus is present in the sample, so they may fail to detect the presence of the virus in mild or asymptomatic cases. NAAT tests accurately detect even a small amount of the virus in the body, decreasing the chance of a false negative, and the associated risk of spreading the virus.

There are many ways a COVID-19 sample may be analyzed to determine if it is positive or negative. When a sample is analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction, it is referred to as a PCR test. A PCR test is just one type of NAAT test available in the US today. Said another way, all PCR tests are NAAT tests, but not all NAAT tests are PCR tests.

If you are asymptomatic, you can schedule an appointment.

Most countries require a proctored test, which means it was supervised by a healthcare professional to validate the results. The CUE Molecular COVID-19 test service is approved for travel to most countries. Before making an appointment, please check with your destination to ensure this test is appropriate.

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