ALLEGAN CO., Mich — Smaller county health departments report that they're struggling to keep up with the high demand for COVID-19 vaccines, due to limited supply.
The Allegan County Health Department tells FOX 17 that they have a system that’s working for them; they just need patience.
Lindsay Maunz, Public Information Officer for the Allegan County Health Department, said, “This isn’t just an Allegan County problem; we are all facing it on some level.”
And as people all over the country get in line for their COVID vaccine, the reality is that they may be waiting a while.
“We can’t have these clinics without the vaccine, so we just ask for people's patience,” Maunz said.
The ACHD reported that they were able to administer 689 doses of the vaccine via three different clinics between Jan. 10 and Jan. 16.
Their data also shows that 1,577 people received their shots altogether during that same time frame.
Maunz said, “It’s great that so many people want to get vaccinated and want to get vaccinated right away.”
However, Allegan County still has about 8,100 people on the vaccination waiting list.
RELATED: Allegan County Health Department has 8,100+ waiting for COVID-19 vaccine
The department has teamed up with Meijer Pharmacyand Spectrum Health Zeelandto administer vaccines, but they remind everyone to only make one appointment at one location.
The department is seeing people make appointments with each organization and then going to whichever one they get into first. Maunz said this is a big issue, because people aren’t canceling the appointments they don’t go to.
“The vaccine dose, the time slot, that appointment you saved and the staffing to deliver that vaccine are all saved in your name,” she explained.
Failing to show up for an appointment leaves staff scrambling to fill the time slot before the dose spoils.
The ACHD is expecting another vaccine shipment sometime next week and hopes they can continue working with the state to smoothly speed up delivery.
RELATED: Can COVID-19 vaccines be mixed and matched to get the two doses?
Maunz said, “They have been great partners and allow us to discuss our barriers currently and continuously work to overcome those barriers. “
Allegan County residents are encouraged to fill out the county’s ‘I Want the COVID-19 Vaccine’ form on their website.
You can also call their hotline number at (269) 686-4546 or email covidvaccine@allegancounty.org to confirm you are on the waiting list.
