DHD#10 Plan for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics
March 5, 2021 – As the COVID-19 vaccine supply improves, District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) has expanded eligibility requirements and is planning to schedule more vaccine clinics to accommodate those wanting to receive the vaccine. However, the way each group is scheduled for clinics may vary. At the end of each week, DHD#10 is notified on our vaccine allotment for the coming week and our team gets to work planning for both first dose and second dose vaccine clinics. Our schedulers first reach out to those on the waiting list, starting with healthcare workers and seniors 65+, through phone calls, emails, or text messages to schedule them in each county. If we are unable to reach them, we move to the next priority list to get them scheduled. Going forward, we are also going to be scheduling some of our clinics online where individuals can go to our website and schedule their appointment directly. This will be limited to specific groups only. “One challenge we face is that some of the counties within our ten-county jurisdiction have exhausted their 65+ waiting lists while other counties still have fairly long lists,” stated Kevin Hughes, Health Officer for DHD#10. “This prompted us to open up the eligibility so that we can fill our vaccine clinics in each county. By doing this, however, it may appear to some that we are scheduling people in the newly eligible groups before those that are on the waiting list.” Hughes stated the priority is to schedule those on the waiting list first. For next week’s first dose clinics, DHD#10 split up the vaccine supply and reserved more than half of the doses for the 65+ waiting list. DHD#10 staff has been reaching out to individuals in this group directly to schedule them and then they will move on to schedule essential workers and caregivers of individuals with special needs. With the remainder of the vaccine supply, DHD#10 opened up an online scheduler for individuals 50+, including 65+ who may still be waiting to be scheduled, to fill clinics. After a day and a half, almost all online slots were full in each county. When scheduling vaccine clinics online, it is important to note that DHD#10 can only schedule one week at a time. Individuals must first select the county where they reside, then select one of the dates that is bolded, and then select a time. There will only be one or two dates in bold to choose from in one week. If there are no bolded dates, that means the clinics are full in that county for the week. Residents can select a date and time from any other county in the jurisdiction to receive their vaccine; however, they must go to that same location to receive their second dose. DHD#10 will continue to post online schedules for the 50+ priority group toward the end of each week at www.dhd10.org/schedule. We will notify you via social media and our Public Health Alerts when new schedules are posted. Please note we cannot open up dates in future weeks until we know how much vaccine supply we will receive. If you are 50+ and want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, check back each week to try and schedule online or place yourself on or 50-64 or 65+ waiting list at www.dhd10.org/covid-19-vaccine. We understand this process can be overwhelming, complicated, and frustrating. Please know we are doing our best to coordinate this enormous effort to get everyone vaccinated that is prioritized and wants to receive it. We ask for your continued patience as the situation continues to evolve and we adjust our plans or develop new workflows to best accommodate our residents. For questions, email us at [email protected]. For more COVID-19 vaccine information, visit us at www.dhd10.org/covid-19-vaccine. To stay informed, sign up for our Public Health Alert at www.dhd10.org/subscribe.
1 Comment
Kathy
3/8/2021 11:14:42 am
Thank you, Ken, for the ongoing updates on the changing phases of the Covid vaccine rollout. It’s such a huge relief to be able to receive these life saving vaccines. Our ancestors who lived through past pandemics would be thrilled to know that their descendants have access to and can be kept safe from threats via such miraculous advancements in medical science. My Dad, who passed away in the 90’s, would be so glad to know his kids and grandkids are being kept safe from threat of illness and death. He lived through the 1918 pandemic as a child, but lost about a quarter of his classmates during those dark days. He heartbreakingly lost a three year old child, my brother, to an early childhood illness that had no vaccine at the time. Vaccines are truly amazing advancements and I’m ever grateful to the dedicated medical research teams and vaccine trial volunteers who have done so much to help us see some light at the end of this Covid 19 tunnel.
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