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As of this week, Shelby County will receive 11,000 to 12,000 doses of vaccine per week from the state, nearing its goal of vaccinating 3,500 to 5,000 people per day.
The Department of Health is now doing a fraction of that. On a good day, such as Saturday, January 23, it rose to nearly 1,200 at the Pipkin Building as the numbers increased.
“People just have to hope that they know or know someone who will contact them and let them know when more vaccines are available,” Inez said. “We’re trying to make this process fairer so that anyone who wants to be informed can sign up to receive this information.”
For now, the program allows people to go to the back of the line and wait their turn. Future iterations of Vax Queue will allow them to book dates, including second dates by the time they get their first photo.
On Monday, that would have eased a lot of anxiety for those 75 and over and hundreds of sandwich generation children caring for elderly parents.
Early in the day, a certain desperation reigned as hundreds of seniors who received their first doses between December 28 and January 3 had their first encounter with SignUpGenius, a registration portal created over 10 years helping churches and other groups organize. potlucks and volunteers.
Now is the way to book COVID appointments online. When the Department of Health released the links at 8 a.m. on Monday, thousands of people were in their homes, hovering over their keyboards.
Other legions were waiting for the Department of Health to text them the link. When the texts did not arrive, it sparked a new wave of angst. Hundreds more rushed for help via the hotline – (901) 222-SHOT (7468) – where callers were unable to pass or were receiving busy signals for hours.
“It was crazy,” said Marilyn Hergenrader. “I’m in a Facebook group with all kinds of people my age who have parents who are 75 and over. None of our parents are tech savvy; some do not have the Internet. We let them know, worried whether it is first come, first served or difficult.
“There you go, it was difficult,” she said shortly after 1 p.m. when her mother was finally registered.
After numerous attempts to use what she said were non-working links on the Department of Health website, Hergenrader typed the address into his browser and got the listing at Germantown Baptist, the location on more practical for her mother, to realize that she needed a second shot before February 2, when it opened.
“It is very frustrating. I got tons of phone calls this morning from other people like me who need to help their parents. You worry: won’t there be enough? Will they fill up fast and you will miss your chance for your mom to get it?
“The more they give partial and incomplete information, the more confidence you lack, you are going to get a place,” she said.
For her, it was an important misstep to say that the times and locations for the second doses would be released on Thursday, January 21 and not produce them.
Jim Dixon signed up to receive a text message from the Department of Health instructing him how to sign up for his second dose.
When that didn’t happen when the links went public on Monday, he wondered what was wrong.
“I finally got a text, it was good,” he says. “But I expected them to burn all of these at 8 am so people weren’t worried.”
He was able to make an appointment on SignUpGenius after a few tries, and now feels comfortable with the rest.
“I realize this is the first time for the health department and the first time for everyone,” Dixon said. “It seems there is so much uncertainty on the part of the Department of Health. When we asked a doctor there if we were going to have our second injection, she was adamant. “You’ll get a second chance, but we don’t know when because we don’t know availability or inventory. “
The state is currently negotiating with major retailers, including Kroger, Walgreens and CVS, to expand vaccine distribution.
“I would say it’s not that far in the future,” Haushalter said. “The state is really dependent on increasing supply at the federal level, which would allow some of the plans to be moved statewide.”
By next week, the Department of Health plans to announce a vaccination post in Whitehaven. He’s also looking for locations off Sam Cooper Blvd and in Frayser.
Starting this week, it will be offering vaccines to people aged 60 and over, who are already clients receiving other services at the Department of Health offices at 1020 S. Bellevue. Other people in their 60s have not yet been vaccinated.
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