On Tuesday around 2 p.m., callers passing through the coronavirus vaccine hotline through Hillsborough County were told that the local health department’s appointments for the available doses were no longer available.
A few hours earlier, Pinellas County health officials made a similar announcement, saying, ‘We have planned our existing stock of vaccine. ‘The Department of Health in Pinellas posted on Twitter that new appointments will be available as soon as it receives more doses.
Both provinces planned telephone appointments for people aged 65 and older earlier on Tuesday, a day after their online registration portals crashed. Getting through telephonically was also a challenge, with numbers constantly busy, calls abruptly ending or ending completely.
Callers reported that they scored dozens, even hundreds of tries in both provinces, but it was in vain.
Pinellas County Commission Chairman Pat Gerard posted on Facebook on Tuesday asking residents to be patient. Pinellas County has nearly 250,000 residents 65 years and older, she wrote, and the Pinellas County Department of Health received a shipment of 3,000 doses on Monday.
“The vast majority of seniors want the vaccine, and they want it now, but the grants we receive from the state are completely inadequate,” she wrote. “If you can wait, please do it.”
“What we have seen is an unprecedented demand and interest in this vaccine, and it is good to know that our citizens are ready for the vaccine,” said Tim Dudley, director of emergency management in Hillsborough County. ‘We saw about 2,000 calls per minute to get through on these lines.
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County expects to host additional appointments next week, according to a press release late Tuesday.
According to the release, the department will distribute 9,000 vaccine doses among residents 65 and older from Wednesday to Saturday, and residents should visit HCFLGov.net/vaccine for updates.
Due to problems with the website, the country’s telephone bank remained open for another two hours on Monday and plans to do the same on Tuesday.
Hillsborough County officials say they expect a second batch of vaccines to arrive from the state Department of Health this week, but the number of doses is unknown. The COVID-19 vaccination requires two shots, Dudley said, and everyone who receives their first dose this week leaves with their appointment for their final vaccination.
“We’re just asking everyone to be patient,” Dudley said. “We want to make sure we do not leave any appointments on the table, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that we provide an opportunity for those who meet the requirements.”
Dudley said he does not know if the province will continue with the developer of the website, Acuity Scheduling. The heavy volume caused the site to almost crash as soon as it went live on Monday.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 14.5 percent of the nearly 1.5 million people in Hillsborough County are 65 or older. The age group is about 25 percent of Pinellas County’s population and 22.6 percent of Pasco County’s population.
Hundreds of people are sending an email to the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, and staff members were inundated with calls Tuesday, department spokeswoman Melissa Watts said. Pasco continued to offer online vaccine registration only. Residents are frustrated with how fast the online dating slots are running as large groups of people try to register right away, she said.
Many residents call with questions about how to make appointments online, she said. Watts posted a page on Tuesday answering residents’ questions.
“We’re trying to find ways to help people where they don’t have to wait that long,” Watts said.
In Hernando County, the phone lines were busy Tuesday with the local health department with residents inquiring about appointments, said Ashley Thomas, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health in Hernando County. Appointments were made by phone, but the department was able to make appointments on Tuesday.
The department started vaccinations according to schedule on Monday at 08:00. Residents can call 352-540-6800 or visit http://hernando.floridahealth.gov for more information.
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