Walgreens said a "temporary outage" affected its vaccine and test appointment scheduler on Monday as the company reports "unprecedented demand" for testing and vaccinations during the holidays.
"Today we experienced temporary outages of some of our web applications, including the appointment scheduler for COVID-19 vaccination and testing," the company said in a statement on Monday afternoon. "The problem has now been fixed, and we apologize to our customers and patients for any inconvenience caused."
Earlier in the day, users reported being placed in a "virtual waiting room" when trying to book an appointment through the Illinois-based pharmacy chain's website.
Walgreens noted that the outage "we are seeing unprecedented demand for related testing and vaccine services and products."
"We are committed to meeting the needs of our customers and patients and doing everything we can to support our communities during this critical time," Walgreens President John Standley said in a statement. “In addition to the busy holiday season, our pharmacy and store team members are working incredibly hard every day, with increasing demand for COVID vaccines, testing and other services. We ask that our customers please show patience and understanding as we continue to navigate the evolving pandemic environment. ,
The company said it has conducted around 55 million COVID-19 vaccines and over 22 million COVID-19 tests across the country.
The current wait time for results for PCR test results is reported to be between 24 and 48 hours, but rapid tests are being returned in less than 24 hours.
Availability of appointments varies by location and time.
Walgreens last week put a four-item purchase limit on at-home COVID test kits in stores and online. It warned of a temporary lack of such tests at many stores.
Across Illinois, there has been a surge in demand for testing as many people gather for the holidays and as cases rise. Long lines have been reported at facilities in the Chicago area in recent weeks as supplies of home tests dwindle.
In an effort to meet increased demand, Illinois will increase its community-based testing site hours from next month, the governor announced Monday.
From January 3, such sites will operate six days a week.
To address a potential shortage in supplies after the Christmas and news year holidays, President Joe Biden announced that his administration has purchased half a billion at-home rapid COVID tests, which will be made available next month and sent to Americans through the mail. will be sent to ,
"We'll get Americans to get this test for free, and we'll have websites where you can get them delivered to your home," Biden said in an address Tuesday.
Pop-up testing sites are also being reported in the lead-up to the holiday to address the surge in demand.