On the first day of public vaccinations, eligible Johnson County residents were met with longer-than-expected wait times.
COVID-19 vaccine appointments at Johnson Memorial Hospital were double-booked due to the switch to a new scheduling platform, county health officials said Monday morning.
Thousands made appointments online at the state’s new public registration site, ourshot.in.gov, while appointments were also made on another platform the hospital has been using to schedule vaccination appointments for health care workers and first responders, said Betsy Swearingen, director of the Johnson County Health Department.
The two platforms did not merge, which resulted in many more appointments than expected and created a bottleneck because there weren’t enough vaccinators on hand to immediately handle the high number of patients, Swearingen said.
The health department called in more vaccinators to help speed up the process, and all available rooms in Johnson Memorial’s old emergency department — where the county’s free clinic is — were occupied. Most patients experienced about a 30-minute wait before they were taken to a room and vaccinated.
It was unclear Monday whether the schedules could be merged or how long the issue would impact wait times, said Swearingen, who asked the public to be patient while the county health department works out the kinks.
The vaccination schedule on Monday was filled with both health care workers and first responders getting their second doses of the vaccine, and seniors age 80 or older getting their first shots. Officials suspect the scheduling conflict may continue until all the hospital’s second doses are administered and all new registrations are made on the state’s public platform, she said.
Despite the wait, patients had positive attitudes. They were just glad they had a place in line to get the vaccine that could, eventually, bring an end to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Dan Blackburn, 83, said he felt normal after getting the shot and will be relieved once he is fully protected with the second dose. Blackburn chalked up the delay to health care workers learning a new process, the Greenwood man said.
“They’re running a little behind, but that’s to be expected. This is all new to everybody,” Blackburn said.
So far the vaccination is by appointment only, but the health department may begin to allow walk-ins soon, Swearingen said.
An influx of appointment requests Friday morning taxed the state’s registration portal and caused long wait times for calls to 211 — the two ways to register for a shot.
At one point on Friday, the state’s registration portal had a wait time of about an hour and 20 minutes to register for an appointment.
To register, seniors or a caregiver authorized by a senior will be asked to provide a birthdate, and will be prompted to show identification at the vaccination appointment to prove eligibility, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Seniors may also call the county health department to request a spot on the wait list, and they will be contacted if there is a time slot available at the end of the day, Swearingen said. For example, about 20 people on the wait list were vaccinated Friday, she said.
Nearly 86,000 Hoosiers age 80 or older registered for the vaccine by Sunday afternoon, according to the state health department.
They account for less than 4% of the state’s population but represent more than 19% of the hospitalizations and more than half of the COVID-19 deaths in the state, the state health department said. Seniors age 80 or older are the first in the state besides health care workers, first responders and nursing home residents to have access to the vaccine.
For seniors or caregivers having difficulty registering online or getting through to 211, the state health department suggests calling one of Indiana’s Area Agencies on Aging for help. For the Area 8 agency that includes Johnson County, call 317-254-5465 or 800-432-2422.
For those getting vaccinated at Johnson Memorial, officials suggest parking in Blue Lot H, off West Jefferson Street, and ask patients to enter through the old emergency department entrance, Building 1125 W.
Julie Davis, a respiratory therapist at Community Hospital South, got her second dose of the vaccine Monday at Johnson Memorial.
“When I got the first dose, there was just one guy in front of me and they took me back right away. I was in and out in 35 minutes,” Davis said. “This is a lot different, but I’m glad the public is able to get it now.”
