Cobb public health director: 'There are just not enough vaccines'

Cobb health director COVID vaccines

The director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health said Tuesday the agency ran out of its allotted COVID-19 vaccines on the first day that people age 65 and older could book an appointment.

The demand was so strong that it overwhelmed a state-run website set up to take appointments for most of Monday.

In remarks Tuesday to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, Dr. Janet Memark apologized for the website crash, but said no new appointments will be released until the agency gets more vaccines.

She said all appointments for the rest of this week are already booked, and that another shipment of vaccines is expected soon to get through the end of next week.

“There are just not enough vaccines for everybody,” said Memark, who didn’t disclose the initial number of vaccines her agency received.

On Monday, 700 vaccines were administered in a drive-thru set-up at Jim Miller Park, and the agency has vaccinated 2,500 people in all. She said the eventual goal is to be able to provide 1,000 vaccines a day in Cobb.

Those 65 and older and their caregivers, and first responders, are eligible for the vaccines in the state’s 1A+ phase.

Even late Tuesday afternoon, the scheduling link for booking an appointment gave a busy server message. Memark said the Georgia Department of Public Health server was running at 210 percent capacity, and that a new server had to be found to handle the demand.

The Cobb and Douglas Public Health website, which was down for most of Monday, is back up and running, and is offering basic information on the vaccine appointments process.

Memark said appointments are necessary—there are no walk-up vaccines being offered—and that those eligible for them can go to another county and get them.

But demand is high everywhere, she said, noting that in a nearby county, a limit of 9,000 appointments were made in six minutes.

She said Georgia DPH is working on a universal scheduling program that should be available soon.

“Please be patient with us,” Memark said, adding that her agency will be releasing more appointment slots when more vaccines are delivered.

“A week at a time,” she said. “As demand ramps up, we pray that production ramps up.”

She said even when improvements are made to the appointment system, “it will probably not be perfect.”

Georgia DPH also has created a COVID vaccination locator page that has details about availability, hours and contact information.

Here’s some updated information sent out by Cobb and Douglas Public Health about scheduling an appointment:

Cobb and Douglas County Residents,

If you are a first responder, healthcare worker, or 65 years of age or older, please click on one of the links below to schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Appointments are posted one week at a time due to uncertain vaccine availability. Please check back each Friday after 5 p.m. for appointments for the coming Monday-Saturday.

Please Note: COVID-19 appointments for this week (week of 1/11/21) have all been filled.

Cobb: www.cdphcovidvaccineappointments.org
Douglas: www.douglascovidvax.org

Key Points to Remember:

Everyone must have an appointment to receive a vaccine. Individuals may come together in the same car if they have appointments for the same day, even if different times.
Please be patient as Cobb & Douglas Public Health is adding appointments to the system no more than a week at a time due to uncertain vaccine supply.
Approved vaccine providers are being activated daily across the state. Please check this Georgia Department of Public Health vaccine locator for vaccine providers: https://dph.georgia.gov/locations/covid-vaccination-site
There are a limited number of appointments each day, so you may not get an appointment right away.
Please follow the instructions in your appointment confirmation email.

Memark continued to encourage citizens to wash their hands, socially distance and wear masks in public, but urged people not to go out unless absolutely necessary.

“We are in a very dire situation,” Memark said. “There is no end in sight right now.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 427 new COVID cases reported in Cobb, following a single-day record of 96 last Thursday.

Cobb’s community spread data reached new heights on Tuesday, with a 14-day average of 923 cases per 100,000 people.

Eight more deaths were also reported Tuesday, giving Cobb 589 since last March, the second-highest number in Georgia.

Memark urged school parents to go virtual with their students if they could, as the Cobb school district said Tuesday that five schools will be doing that for the rest of the week.

However, the district has said that Memark has not recommended that the entire district go all-virtual.