5.6 million calls block phone lines for WellMed COVID vaccine registration in San Antonio

SAINT ANTHONY – If you were struggling to access WellMed locations on the South and West sides of San Antonio this week, you weren’t alone.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 5.6 million phone calls have been received since registration opened this weekend, Councilor Adriana Rocha-Garcia told KSAT.

WellMed previously told KSAT that the toll-free number (833-968-1745) was quickly blocked as community members tried to find places for vaccinations.

Rocha-Garcia said 4,775 vaccines were given in three days at the Elvira Cisneros Community Center for Seniors, run by the WellMed Charitable Foundation on Southwest Military Drive and the one-stop Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior Center on Culebra Road.

A total of 9,000 doses were available at the two facilities, but all the time slots were filled, according to WellMed officials.

When more than one time slot opens, city authorities ask residents to call the same toll-free number between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to make an appointment. Phones will be answered seven days a week during the 12 hour period. If you can’t make it, city officials say keep trying as the lines get hundreds of calls every minute.

The Alamodome vaccination clinic is also full. San Antonio city officials said in a press release last week that registration for the free COVID-19 vaccine registration ended in just six minutes and more than 11,000 people were at the site Web check-in when opened.

The Alamodome site is able to provide up to 1,500 vaccines per day. When more vaccines become available, the city will make the announcement through its social media channels.

San Antonio now has four mass vaccination sites that can administer nearly 30,000 vaccines per week, including the Alamodome, two WellMed clinics, and the University Health mass vaccination clinic at Wonderland Mall. None of them have a vaccine available at the moment.

“There are over a million people in Bexar County who are currently eligible for the vaccine,” said Dr. Colleen Bridger. “At two doses per person, it will take us months to administer the vaccines to all residents of Bexar County. The good news is that we are more than equipped to deliver every dose we receive. So the message is sent to state and federal leaders that we need more – a lot more. “

In Texas, people who fall into the state’s Phase 1A and Phase 1B categories are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including healthcare workers, residents of long-term care facilities , anyone over 65 and anyone 18 or over with a chronic medical condition. Chronic medical conditions include cancer, kidney disease, COPD, heart disease, solid organ transplants, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, and type two diabetes.