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21,000 signed up for vaccine on Day One of Phase 2 – despite logjam

Guy Page

MONTPELIER | Vermonters age 75 and older began booking appointments for their COVID-19 vaccine this week.

On just the first day, Jan. 26, more than 21,100 appointments were scheduled for the coming weeks – a rate state health officials called greatly encouraging.

Not everything went smoothly. One Vermont Daily reader from Chittenden County wrote the following email in response to a recent news story on vaccination:

“Just to let you know. This Vaccine sign-up is a disaster. It is now 3:15 PM. I have been trying to make sure I have an appointment since 8:00 AM. The online sign-up is impossible. To get a phone appointment, takes hours, better now. I am still at it.

“I finally got through and thought I had made my appointment. I got my email and it says my appointment is for testing in Winooski. I don’t want a test, I want a vaccine. I called again and was told that although it says the appointment is for testing, it is really for a first vaccine. I don’t know what I have or who to believe. The appointments are made from calls all over the country. Mine was made by someone in Nevada.

“Just a bureaucratic nightmare,” she concluded.

With a large aging population, Vermont’s first big round of shots kicked off Jan. 27. The vaccinations are now available at Health Department clinics, Kinney Drugs, and other locations around the state.

You can visit healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine to schedule your appointment online. If you can’t do so online, you can make your appointment by phone at 855-722-7878 during these hours:

Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Anyone who needs to speak with someone in a language other than English can call 855-722-7878, then press 1.

Relatives or friends are encouraged as appropriate to assist people who are eligible in making an appointment. The Health Department thanks people for their patience with any delays or technical issues encountered as the system accommodates the thousands of appointments being scheduled.

Issues are being addressed and the call center and online “FAQs” will help people get the support and information they need. The call center number is also 855-722-7878.

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