Some people in Shelby County received their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine weeks ago and have had trouble lining up their second shot, apparently due to limited supply.
If you're in that situation and looking for your second shot of Moderna vaccine, the city government is now advising you to contact Walmart or other drugstore chains. Additionally, Christ Community Health Services is among the organizations offering the Moderna vaccine.
"If you need your second dose Moderna, there's several of the clinics and partners and some of the drugstore chains are receiving Moderna," Memphis Fire Department Director Gina Sweat said during a news conference on Thursday.
"You may be able to get an appointment there for your second dose. But if not, you can email us at covid19help@memphistn.gov."
"And if you will email us, leave us your information, when you received your first dose, we will try to connect to either with a facility or an appointment somewhere so you can get your second dose Moderna."
The city government had posted that email address — covid19help@memphistn.gov — on Twitter on Wednesday.
A staffer for The Commercial Appeal who was seeking the second Moderna dose emailed that address on Wednesday and received a response almost immediately:
"We do not have a supply of the Moderna vaccine currently, but we are working to order more now," the email from the city said. "We will place you on the waitlist for the Moderna 2nd dose and as soon as stock becomes available again, we will reach out to you via email."
"You may also consider checking locations such as Walmart, as we do believe they have the Moderna 2nd dose readily available. This may be true for other vaccine locations across the city, but none of the (City of Memphis-operated vaccine locations) have the Moderna vaccine available."
The staffer was able to make an appointment for the Moderna vaccine at a Walmart location in Covington, Tennessee.
To make an appointment at a Walmart location, visit walmart.com. You will need to create an account with the company if you do not already have one.
Christ Community among other organizations offering Moderna vaccine
Christ Community Health Services also offers the Moderna vaccine at its seven locations in Shelby County and one in Jackson, said spokesperson Cris Stovall.
Register by texting the word "Vaccine" to 91999. You will receive a text back with instructions for online registration.
Moderna is one of three companies that have received emergency approval to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. The others are Pfizer, which collaborated with German company BioNTech on the project, as well as Johnson & Johnson.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two shots spaced apart, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one dose.