Transcript
Andrew MacBeath: “Rite Aid Pharmacy administers thousands of vaccines across the nation. But the busiest location is in your own backyard: the Rite Aid on Butternut Street. Pharmacy Manager Ian Allport has noticed the growing numbers.
Ian Allport: “We are the busiest Rite Aid in the nation as of right now, so it’s kind of a constant stream of shots coming in, but there has been a bit of an uptick recently.”
MacBeath: “Allport says this uptick is mainly due to college and high school students coming in for COVID boosters. Many students are concerned about the new variants that keep popping up and the old ones that have stuck around. New boosters against these variants are in development, but Rite Aid has not received any yet.
Allport: “We’re in the dark here still, we don’t know. We won’t really know until we get an email saying we’re getting a shipment of vaccines.”
MacBeath: “Allport hopes to get these boosters soon to keep up with rising demand and so students can return to school safety. From Syracuse, I’m Andrew MacBeath, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Rite Aid Pharmacy locations in Syracuse, New York, continue to administer booster shots to the public. With locations across the northeast, Rite Aid sees thousands of clients a day, the Butternut Street location in Syracuse is getting the most action.
“We are the busiest Rite aid in the nation as of right now,” says pharmacy manager Ian Allport. “It’s kind of a constant stream of shots coming in, but there has been a bit of an uptick recently.”
The uptick in demand is mostly due to people coming in for second doses or additional boosters. Allport sees both college and high school students come in to receive a booster to return to school safely. He also sees workers come in for a dose after their company instituted a mandate.
Both new and old variants continue to float around Central New York. Many people are concerned for new variants, such as the BA.5 variant, and want to stay as safe as possible.
Allport says he hopes to receive shipments for new boosters that protect against new variants.
“We’re in the dark here still,” he says. “We won’t really know until we get an email saying we’re getting a shipment of vaccines.”
Allport recommends that people come in for their booster shots today.