The line at a transit vaccine clinic at Triangle North Airport in Franklin County caused traffic jams and prevented people from getting their vaccination.
Video from Sky 5 showed the row of cars stretching at least a mile further into the nearby road, causing traffic congestion and frustration.
Several people posted complaints on social media or called WRAL while still waiting in line.
One couple, who said they had an appointment for 9:30 a.m., said they stood in line for a few hours, only to let a deputy driver know they had to leave and then return within two hours.
Michael McDowell, who also waited in the long queue, said the guard was so bad he turned around and left.
A message on Facebook said: “Currently at the drive-in vaccination site in Louisburg. They only started at 10:00, and the line was back 2 km from the airport at 9:45.”
Registration information from the organizers of the vaccine reads: ‘Only those who receive telephone or email confirmation with the date, time and place of tomorrow’s clinic may attend’ and that only ‘individuals 65 and older and leading health professionals who have the completed registration process, was accepted. “
Franklin County Health Director Scott LaVigne plans to review how the day learned from that. He also plans to contact the Wake County Health Director about how they can coordinate efforts in the future.
“This is the first time we’re bringing a lot of people from Wake County and other surrounding counties to this event,” LaVigne said. “This is what contributed to [the line]. We want to be good neighbors. ‘
LaVigne says despite the wait, operations have been fairly smooth. A total of 1,510 patients were vaccinated on Thursday before they had to turn people away at around 15:00.
‘At one point we had 234 [patients] in one hour we went through, “LaVigne explained. This is phenomenal. “
Despite arranging the meeting with registration and appointments, it seemed like the long times and waiting times missed a lot of people, and it even kept people from getting the COVID-19 vaccine today.
But LaVigne is confident in the country’s ability to adjust the number of patients while still distributing it efficiently.
“If we have the vaccine … we’re going to carry you through and get you on your way. That’s what we want to do, that’s what we’re really good at,” LaVigne said.
He says he would like to coordinate with the Wake County Health Department for the next vaccination round at this location.
“What we were not ready for was the mass migration, for lack of a better word, of people coming outside [this] LaVigne said. ‘I sent an email to the Wake County Health Director. I want to make sure we pool our resources … so we can better coordinate things. ‘