COVID-19 vaccine appointments filling up quickly at Kroger's new Lexington site

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Less than one hour after appointments to the new regional COVID-19 vaccination site in Lexington became available Thursday, they were all booked.

When registration opened again at 6 a.m. Friday, it was no different.

"So many Kentuckians were excited and ready to sign up for the vaccine that there was a huge capacity surge, and I think that the appointments just really booked up pretty fast because Kentuckians were so ready to get this vaccine," Kroger spokesperson Erin Grant said.

The Lexington vaccine site is one of four new regional locations set to open, the state announced Thursday.

These are the four and how you can register:

Lexington: Kentucky Horse Park at Alltech Arena. Register online at kroger.com/COVIDVaccine or by calling 866-211-5320.
Danville: Ephraim McDowell Medical Center. Pre-register by calling 859- 936-8350.
Paducah: Lourdes Hospital. Register by visiting mercy.com or call 270-538-7191.
Paducah: Baptist Health. Register by clicking here.

At the Kroger-run location at the Kentucky Horse Park, the company said it will have roughly 600 appointments available daily, beginning Tuesday. Kroger said it has about 3,000 vaccines available per week.

"This upcoming week, there are 600 available time slots, but as we move forward in the weeks ahead, it will really depend on the capacity and vaccine availability we get from the state as to how many appointments we will be able to schedule," Grant said.

It's not clear when the allotment could increase at the regional vaccine sites. Kroger said it doesn't know, but the state is pushing for an increase in its weekly allotment which would be distributed across the commonwealth.

"Testing didn't happen overnight," Gov. Andy Beshear said in his daily briefing Thursday. "We're already providing more vaccine than we have supply. A lot of this is the building and the planning for what we hope will be a larger amount at the end of this first quarter."

Saturday is the next time available to register for the vaccine. Registration will reopen at 6 a.m. until all the spots are filled.

Those are going quickly, Kroger said, but officials said it's a step in the right direction.

"Just keep checking into the website to see when the available appointments are, and we will continue to work hard to supply a really great experience and enough vaccines for everyone," Grant said.