Demand for vaccinations on Maui is still exceeding supply, forcing a temporary suspension to secure new appointments for the first doses at Maui Hospital.
Maui Health, which runs the vaccination clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center, has also postponed appointments for individuals who wanted a first dose and already had an appointment between January 17 and February 7, 2021.
“Unfortunately, the state was informed by the state last night that we would not receive the expected consignment for the weekend and next week. Therefore, we made the difficult decision to postpone all appointments for the first dose scheduled for Sunday, January 17th to Sunday, February 7th. ”
Tracy Dallarda, Communications Director for Maui Health / Maui Memorial Medical Center
“This is to ensure we have enough vaccine to provide the second dose to those who need it over the next few weeks,” said Tracy Dallarda, communications director of Maui Health / Maui Memorial Medical Center.
Affected individuals affected by this first dose delay were notified via the email they used to register for their appointment. They have since been placed on a priority list to receive the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine once Maui Health is able to ensure and maintain adequate vaccine supply from the state.
“Once we are confirmed that enough vaccines are on the way to Maui Health, we will send a link to these individuals to a private booking portal (NOT the CDC’s VAMS website) to reschedule an appointment,” Dallarda said.
Maui Health has also set new clinic hours for those who would already be receiving their second dose. These people should have received an email with more specific instructions.
Changes include:
- The Maui Health Clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center will be closed on Sunday, January 17 and Monday, January 25.
- As of Monday, January 18, the Maui Health Clinic vaccine will only work for Pfizer vaccinations for the second dose of Pfizer.
- New clinical hours are only from Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 20:00.
In addition, Maui Health does not currently accept any new appointment requests.
If a Maui resident has already submitted an appointment request form and is still experiencing issues, they will be asked to email it [email protected] with
their concerns.
“Although we do not plan new appointments, we can help set up accounts to make new appointments available,” said Dallarda. “We know it’s frustrating. Please know that we are tirelessly advocating for Maui to ensure we get a fair share of vaccines so that any member of the Maui community who wants to be vaccinated can do so. ‘
The hospital vaccination clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center includes a special help desk appointment system that allows kupuna to schedule time when volunteers can assist with the online registration process. There is also a specific phone number and email address to answer questions and help them navigate through the appointment process.
The Maui Health Community Vaccination Clinic began on Friday, January 8, and since then, more than 3,000 community members and an additional more than 1,000 employees and providers have been vaccinated.
The hospital receives 1,500 requests per day from individuals seeking a vaccine; for a total of 11,000 people (as of Thursday 14 January) who entered the system and were waiting for appointments.
The hospital is the only site in Maui that has expanded vaccinations to those in the 1B priority group below the CDC timeline.
Maui’s other clinic is a driveway operated by the State Department of Health – Maui District Health Office at the University of Hawai’i Maui College. The Point of Distribution website or POD at the college is considered a ‘closed POD’ that is not available to the general public or to many people in the broader 1B grouping. It is still working to fulfill vaccination requests in the higher 1A priority grouping as well as first responders.
The UHMC website experienced problems last week when an unexpected crowd turned up on Monday and Wednesday, including those outside the site’s priority grouping. Some were turned away and asked to wait for further instructions.
Those who are vaccinated should note that the hospital’s vaccination clinic currently only offers the Pfizer vaccination; while the pop-up clinic at UHMC is currently administering the Moderna vaccine.
“Your first dose, if it is at Moderna, must be your second dose at the same manufacturer, Moderna. If you come here (to the hospital) and your first dose is Pfizer, your second dose should also be Pfizer, ”said Chrissy Miller, Naui Health Employee Health Manager.
Lieutenant Governor Josh Green estimates that the demand for the vaccine is currently “about 3 to 1, or maybe even 5 to 1”. “And it will quickly tilt in a better direction of ours if we get our vaccine boost, which we were promised in the third week of January, to which we are currently heading.”
‘I would think your tip would be, if I had to guess, March 1 when it suddenly seemed to reach equilibrium, where about the right number of people ask, based on the right amount of vaccinations. It’s not really that far away, ”Lieutenant Government Green said during a visit to Maui on Thursday.
Updates will be provided as soon as they are available.