It’s slowly starting to get easier to book a COVID vaccine appointment in New Jersey now that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available.
Some people who had appointments separately for a few weeks were now able to book earlier at another facility, while others found a shot closer to home.
So what should you do if you have two appointments?
Experts say if you have already had your first dose, you should go through your second dose appointment and not try to reschedule it elsewhere.
But if you have not had a first dose yet, it is important to cancel an unnecessary appointment because some people can not book a date yet and no one wants to see any doses missed.
If you have booked time through the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System (NJVSS), you can contact the call center to cancel your appointment, said Dawn Thomas, spokeswoman for the Department of Health.
That number is (855) 568-0545.
However, if you have booked through an independent website, you should contact the website directly.
Atlantic Health has said they want people to cancel appointments they do not need.
“While this does not happen often, cancellation is an important step if a patient is unable to reach their appointment,” spokesman Luke Margolis said. “Cancellation helps ensure that doses of these rare vaccines are not wasted and that an unfilled appointment can be offered to someone else.”
To cancel an appointment made by Atlantic, you can use the patient portal “MyChart”. Go to the “Appointment Details” screen in your “Future Visits” section, he said. Or you can reply to one of the text messages with the word “cancel”, he said.
Tara Burke, spokeswoman, said you should cancel an appointment at CVS.
“In the email confirmation they received, there is information on how to cancel the appointment,” she said. “They can also call (800) 746-7287.”
Rite Aid said you should call the customer service line if you need to cancel. The number is (800) RITEHELP. It has been noted that you can not make an appointment by dialing the number.
Carrie Cristello, spokesperson for Carrie Cristello, said that ‘individuals who want to change or cancel their vaccination can simply click on the unique link they used to plan the appointment, for an appointment through RWJBarnabas.
Hackensack Meridian Health said people can cancel appointments by emailing [email protected].
“We only need the patient name, date of birth and time / date of their appointment,” spokesman Benjamin Goldstein said. ‘Canceled appointments are then immediately released online for people to pick up. They are discussed almost immediately. ”
Spokeswoman Deana Percassi says if you want to cancel an appointment with Wegmans, you need to call the store where you are scheduled directly.
Call the facility directly if you are unsure about how to cancel. You can find a list of phone numbers, but not all, on the state’s list of vaccination sites. You should also check your confirmations by email for information on how to contact the facility.
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Karin Price Mueller can be reached at [email protected].