DUBLIN, Ga. — Long call wait times, trouble navigating the State Department of Health's website, and frustration are just a few of the things 13WMAZ heard about on Monday from viewers trying to get COVID-19 vaccination appointments. This comes as Georgia expands vaccinations to those 65 and older, caregivers, and first responders.
"(I) Received a recording, was put on hold for 29 minutes before I got a human being on the phone," Buddy Dennard said.
Dennard tried to set up an appointment to receive the Moderna vaccine in Bleckley County last week. He had to start over once the South Central Health District (SCHD) announced they were moving to appointments only.
"Without contacting you, how can they close the appointment loop?" Dennard said.
After our interview, Dennard heard back, getting an appointment for next Monday, but some Central Georgians are still searching for help.
"As we were looking at other areas of the country that were offering COVID-19 vaccine opportunities, some of those were disastrous," Melissa Brantley with the SCHD said.
Brantley says the SCHD moved to appointments only after receiving as many as 55 phone calls in 45 minutes. She says they also wanted to avoid traffic back-ups and people camping out overnight, which has been reported in states like Florida.
"People would feel confident in the system and how it works, that they would know if they made an appointment that there was a vaccine with their name on it ready to go at a certain time," Brantley said.
Brantley says the easiest way to make an appointment for the SCHD is by going online and filling out a vaccination scheduling form. If you can't logon, try dialing 478-275-6570 to schedule an appointment with SCHD Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"If you want the vaccine, you are going to get that vaccine, we just ask for patience as we navigate the huge numbers of people who want the vaccine," Brantley said.
You can find more information on how the South and North Central Health District is handling the vaccine rollout in the articles below: