BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) – You pick up the phone hoping to hear someone on the other line, but right now that’s not happening for those eager to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Baldwin County.
“I think this is frustrating everyone. It’s frustrating to me as a physician,” said Dr. Karen Landers with the Alabama Department of Public Health.
The statewide scheduling hotline number remains inundated with calls. Remember, right now the vaccine is only available to first responders, healthcare workers and in some cases those 75 years of age or over. Not every health department can follow that criteria yet, though.
“We’re like any other healthcare facility right now. We have people out due to Covid. We have people out on quarantine. The number of staff members to be able to do this is certainly a challenge,” added Dr. Landers.
Next Monday, January 18th all state health departments should be administering the vaccine to these groups. The Centers for Disease Control urged all states Tuesday morning to adjust the age bracket to include those 65 years of age and over.
“If an additional group is added in there obviously we have to have the supply to be able to do that and the providers to be able to do it,” Dr. Landers continued.
The online scheduling portal for the state is still in the works, but right now there’s no immediate solution to streamline the process in the meantime.
“We had expected that to come out a little earlier but at this point it appears that it’s going to be a couple of weeks, maybe less,” she said.
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