WILL THAULT: COVID-19 vaccine rollout … Albany style

My wife and I had the privilege of receiving our initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last Thursday at the Phoebe HealthWorks building on Third Avenue in Albany. First off, let me offer mega-kudos to the organizers, staff and volunteers who joined with the Phoebe Putney Health System in providing this much-needed service during the first round of the expanded Phase 1A vaccinations this week, for 65-and-older Georgia citizens and others. Here’s a play-by-play of our experience:

It all started with a call made by my wife to the Phoebe COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline last week at (229) 312-1919. An automated service answered, with information on the number of callers ahead of her, the approximate wait time and the option to receive a return call instead of holding. After choosing to stay on hold (it turned out to be about 15 minutes), a live operator picked up and after asking a few pre-qualifying questions, booked both of our simultaneous appointments for the following week.

Set for 9 a.m., we decided to arrive early, just in case. As we turned onto Third Avenue, we saw signs everywhere assuring us that we’d found right place. We were first met by a friendly volunteer who asked if we were here for the vaccination, then if we had a handicapped permit. Answering no to the permit, he asked if we’d have any trouble walking across the street from the regular parking area before directing us there. Our answer was also no, but we knew from this first encounter that these folks really had their act together. And we weren’t proved wrong.

All along the way through handicapped parking and the main entrance, helpful volunteers directed us every step of the way. Once inside, we moved into the registration queue area filled with more than a half-dozen stations. The wait was less than a minute. We were provided with an iPad-like device for self-registration with instructions on how to fill it out while we sat in a well-spaced seating area. No worries here either, as more helpful staffers were on hand to answer any questions. This took less than five minutes. The last stop before admission to the vaccination area was with a final check-in staffer who took our device and matched the database with our application and gave us a card verifying our inoculation date and the pre-approved appointment time for our second dose three weeks later. Again, this process only took 2-3 minutes.

Once inside the vaccination area, we saw a room, about the size of a large indoor basketball court, filled with at least a couple of dozen inoculation tables, with RNs and vaccines at the ready. After another 2-3 minute wait, we were directed to separate stations and given the painless shots. The only real wait time during the whole experience was afterwards in what was appropriately called the waiting area. As a precaution, it was suggested that we sit there for 15-30 minutes to make sure that we didn’t have any adverse allergic reactions. This gave us plenty of time to review informational handouts provided to us about the virus and the vaccine.

That was it. In and out in about 30 minutes!

What a contrast to the nightmare stories that we’ve been hearing about elsewhere in the state. Earlier in the week, we were in Atlanta watching a local TV newscast. Everything was in apparent confusion during the first week of the expansion of vaccine availability for us seniors over 65, law enforcement officers, firefighters and first responders. Most facilities were set up on a first-come, first-served basis instead of scheduling appointments. Senior citizens were waiting in line sometimes for hours only to be turned away after being told that demand outweighed current supply and that they’d have to come back later. When, was anybody’s guess. Those facilities that opted for phone-in appointments only left callers with constantly busy lines – one person stated on the newscast that they counted 129 call attempts, getting a busy signal each time (must’ve had auto-redial).

This wasn’t just a metro Atlanta problem. I spoke with a friend in Carrollton who said that the county health department there would only dispense the vaccine from one location on a weekly basis as of last Tuesday. Conflicting estimates indicated there were from 500-1,200 doses initially available in the first week, which would account for less than one-tenth of the city’s target population, he said. To add to the confusion, Carrollton’s local Saturday newspaper (the weekend before the first rollout) said it would be administered on a first-come, first-served basis as well. However, later that day the County changed it to appointment only on its Facebook page.

Too bad for those folks who don’t do Facebook. My friend said he spent three hours making over 100 calls with busy signals last weekend before giving up. When he finally got through this past Wednesday, he was told that next Tuesday’s appointments were already filled, which would cause them to be completely out of vaccine beyond that point. Their website now says that “the call center for making future appointments is now closed and won’t re-open again before Jan. 19th.”

Amid all this chaos and high demand, we are very thankful to live in a community where our health providers had the foresight, wherewithal and organizational skills to meet the vaccine rollout challenge.

Again, thank you Phoebe Putney administrators and all the wonderful staffers and volunteers who have made this stressful moment in the fight against COVID-19 a much easier experience – especially for our seniors. I think it’s way past time for other community health providers in the state to take a trip down to Albany and see how to do it the right way.