Early last Monday morning, Philip Zwick said he was standing outside the Morris County coronavirus vaccine in Rockaway in a line with dozens of people.
The 79-year-old said he was waiting for his contact information to be added to a list that would be used if the day at the site were to make non-appointments, and there were remaining doses. He left his name with an officer at the door, but it was in vain. He was never shot at the last minute.
“People are lined up, old people in wheelchairs, trying to get this thing because the state system is not working,” he said. “I have decided we are not going to do that anymore. We’re not going to sit there waiting that morning. ”
The mega-site in the former Sears store in the Rockaway Townsquare mall is one of the sites in New Jersey that has a help list if people with scheduled appointments do not show up. But officials say using the system to get vaccinated is incredibly rare, but very few people have secured the vaccination that way.
The demand for the vaccines far exceeds the supply in New Jersey, as officials said about 4 million people are eligible for the vaccine, while the state will receive about 130,000 doses from the federal government over the next three weeks.
The county and Atlantic Health System, which jointly manage the Rockaway site, said officers at the door of the building took names of people who asked to be considered for any remaining doses, but the names are kept for the day only. .
They strongly encourage people to come to the site without an appointment and expect to receive a residual dose.
Sources on the website said that 1,000 people asked to appear on a waiting list this week, but only one or two people got the chance through the method.
‘Since we are committed to not wasting any vaccine, the officers at our doors have taken the names of people who ask to be considered for any remaining vaccine on the rare occasion when, for example, someone is not present for their appointment. Only the names of those who are eligible are taken and are kept for that day only. “Rarely has anyone been vaccinated in this way and unscheduled individuals should not come to the vaccination center to expect to be vaccinated,” the province and Atlantic Health System said in a joint statement.
The state encouraged sites to use remaining doses rather than throwing them away if there are reserves at the end of the day.
Donna Leusner, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Health, told Donna Leusner this month: “Websites are being instructed to administer the expected doses to others in the community rather than throwing away vaccines.” “Most sites have a waiting list in the next expected category to ensure nothing is thrown away.”
Michael Maron, chief executive of the Holy Name Medical Center, said in the event that there were doses left over at the end of the day, the hospital contacted people on a Teaneck list of about 200 seniors who called the township because they needed appointments. . The hospital has a vaccine at the Richard Rodda Community Center in Teaneck.
This is not common, though, he said, because almost everyone shows up with a scheduled survey. There were a few days when about six vaccines were still available, and they pointed to the town’s list, he said. They planned to vaccinate 2,800 on Thursday, he said.
“We have not wasted a single dose yet … and it’s all about the efficiency of scheduling,” Maron said. “Our (scheduling) system is very dependent on computer and text messages … Some of the elderly, more than I thought, did not either, so they call the city … The town is aware of who they are. is and they have them on the list. ”
He said the process will be different next week.
A new registration form will be available on the hospital’s website, which will include a question asking if the person filling out the form can do so to the website if there is a last minute.
“Those people can sort and call us quickly at the end of the day, but they will all be part of the same list for master registrations,” Maron said.
The mega-site at the Moorestown Mall in Burlington County run by Virtua Health System uses a similar system.
Dr. Reginald Blaber, Virtua’s executive vice president and clinical chief, said they are trying to avoid incidents in some other states, such as Florida, where thousands of doses have been undone after being thawed.
‘At the moment we have a list of first responders, such as police, fire brigade, EMS, which we use for the extra doses. But what we did on our website … is one of the questions you will answer: are you available to take notice within 15 minutes if you call at the end of the day with the first dose, ”said Blaber . “We have seen what has happened in other states and are trying to avoid it. We try to learn from the lessons. ”
Daniel Moise, a Virtua spokesman, was not sure how many people were on the assistance list and how many were vaccinated that way, but guess it’s just a handful.
However, many places do not yet have waiting lists available and do not allow entry.
Mary Jo Layton, a spokeswoman for Hackensack Meridian Health, which runs the site, says the mega-site of the Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment Complex in Bergen County is not allowed.
‘If there is another vaccine because people do not show up after making appointments, our team members are on standby who have not yet received the vaccine that will take the doses. No dose is ever wasted, ”she said.
In Ocean County, the health department also does not have a list of appointments for assistance.
Brian Lippai, spokesman for the health department, said it’s because someone misses an appointment, then it becomes available again in the department’s scheduling system and it fills up quickly.
He encourages people to visit the website of the health department in the province several times a day if unexpectedly does not show up, and a slot opens.
‘The OCHD does not have the issue of getting close to the closing time and suddenly realizes that we had 10 or 15 shows. We keep a close eye on our schedule and appointments during the day. “If someone misses an appointment, it becomes available again in our scheduling system,” he said. “We plan our appointments very strictly, so if canceled – even later in the day – it will be made available on our clinic site and usually booked within minutes.”
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Avalon Zoppo can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.