Yesterday I was in my local Walmart, near the layaway area and sitting on the desk was a bright yellow box labelled “Influenza Diagnostic Kits”. It struck me as really strange, but I wanted to check with you all to see if anyone knows if this is something they do every year.
MLBIT - I do not recall ever seeing one of those….????
Nothing like that on their website.
Interesting. Especially considering the sales on 6 packs of Spam and other types of can goods. I guess that like Katrina, we shouldn’t rely on the US government, call on Walmart! :)
Very interesting.
I had to purchase mine off the web last year from a lab supplies wholesaler.
Were these for sale, or for use in their pharmacy by pharmacy tech only ?
“Were these for sale, or for use in their pharmacy by pharmacy tech only ?”
Neither that I know of. It was just a resealed box off to the back and side of the layaway desk. You know how they reuse merchandise boxes for layaway items? Well, that is probably what it was, but it has me wondering when, what, how, and most importantly, why they have that kind of box.
I have never heard of Walmart being a place where you can get your influenza diagnosed or being a distribution center for such stuff.
You are probably right that it will be in the pharmacy for sale perhaps to Medical Staff or maybe Walmart does plan to do do this during a pandemic. Maybe it is just so they can deal with their own staff.
What is most interesting is that Walmart sees some need for this type of stuff!
MLBIT – at 13:49
“Were these for sale, or for use in their pharmacy by pharmacy tech only ?”
Neither that I know of. It was just a resealed box off to the back and side of the layaway desk. You know how they reuse merchandise boxes for layaway items? Well, that is probably what it was, but it has me wondering when, what, how, and most importantly, why they have that kind of box.
I have never heard of Walmart being a place where you can get your influenza diagnosed or being a distribution center for such stuff.
Many retail outlets are planning on putting in small medical clinics in-house.
Perhaps WalMart is one of them.
Wasn’t it CVS pharmacies that just purchased a medical group, for the sole purpose of putting in “doc in the box” clinics in their stores ?
Might be just that, and probably is something similar, but it seems unlikely to be Doctors or other medical staff where I live.
I’m in the Texas Panhandle in a county with less than 25 thousand people. We have trouble getting medical staff of any level to work in the hospital or to open a practice, much less to work in a Walmart.
Seems like a great idea though(and would probably be great if a pandemic were to hit). I will have to let you know if that is what happens.
Bird Guano,
What brand of test kits did you get? Amazon.com has a couple, and many of the medical supply houses have them too. Too bad they’re so expensive…but it would be nice to have.
I’m sensing Texas if far more prepared than I realized, and more than many other states. I was at my local pharmacy today, and the only thing I noticed was that the flu shots had been rescheduled. No phamplets on prepardness, no prep supplies on end caps, nothing. I see nothing “going on” in my local stores, or community, and I am hearing nothing from New York. I am growing concerned that they probably will be the very last state to prepare. (By then we’ll be in the middle of the pandemic!!)
MLBIT- I would have used my curiosity and found some way of finding out if it was a new item going to be offered to the public. I do this all the time, with my curiosity, and it usually pays off.
“cottontop – at 14:44 MLBIT- I would have used my curiosity and found some way of finding out if it was a new item going to be offered to the public. I do this all the time, with my curiosity, and it usually pays off.”
Each to their own Cottontop. I wouldn’t expect much of an answer from the store clerks and commando shopping isn’t one of my hobbies. Well, maybe occasionally, but I didn’t have the time this round! :)
I’m in Alberta Canada and flu shots have been delayed minimum of a month to previous years. As far as I know only the young and over 65 can get the shot in Alberta (not so in Ontario as I see it advertised on TV). My question is - are we missing something here? What is the truth about this delay? Do they know something we don’t about the strains to be contained in the flu shot? Right now in my area so many people are sick with the cold & flu that it makes one wonder why this isn’t available. By the way, several younger healthy very fit adults are getting pneumonia with this flu. I’m starting to wonder what I’m not being told.
Sorry above is in wrong thread; I’ll transfer it.
Prepping Gal – at 18:22
Just returned from a trip to Kalispel and they are holding flu clinics if you want to slip down there, you are only 4 hours away but I would take a driver with you in case you react to the shot. Cost is 25$
MLBIT-
I find it easy. Get to chatting with the clerks and the next thing you know, they unknowningly tell you what you want. agreed. sometimes you don’t have the time no matter how bad you want to know something. But if something doesn’t make sense to me, I pursue it, and a bright yellow box labled “Influenza diagnostic kits” certainly would have made me ask, time restrainst or not.
But your right. Each to their own.
Bilbo – at 14:16
Bird Guano,
What brand of test kits did you get? Amazon.com has a couple, and many of the medical supply houses have them too. Too bad they’re so expensive…but it would be nice to have.
QuickVue A/B quick test.
Yes they are a little costly.
Also may not be that effective for H5N1 since it has an affinity for the lower respiratory tract and not the nose.
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