ALL COVID-19 VACCINE SLOTS FULL AT WASHINGTON CO. EXPO
OVER 600,000 CALLS RECEIVED AT CALL CENTER WITHIN HOURS OF REGISTRATION OPENING
Update @ 6 a.m. Tuesday: After one day of registration, all 2,000 appointment slots for COVID-19 vaccines at the Washington County Expo have been filled.
The Washington County Office of Emergency Management announced Monday afternoon that all slots for this batch of vaccines at the Regional Vaccination subHUB are full. The subHUB is set to begin vaccinating residents today (Tuesday) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will be open each weekday until vaccines run out.
Emergency management officials say the phone lines for the subHUB received over 600,000 calls within the first few hours of registration opening at 8 a.m. Monday morning, including 7,000 calls within the first minute and 60,000 calls within the first few minutes.
The call center will now have a message stating appointments are filled, and will be disconnected within the next few days.
Officials remind the public that those without a scheduled appointment or designated time slot for the vaccine should not come to the Expo. Those with appointments may or may not receive a confirmation email, but are told to arrive at the time they were assigned.
For people who were told they would receive a return call within 24 hours, the callback will be attempted three times. After three attempts and no answer, they will be removed from the list. Callbacks are still being made at this time.
Those who have appointments can print and complete their registration forms prior to their arrival at the Expo. Registration and consent forms can be found at www.localevent.info. Those without access to a printer can pick up forms at the Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library.
Any Texas resident that qualifies in the current 1A and 1B tier structure was eligible to register to receive a vaccine. The subHUB is being operated by Washington, Austin, Burleson, Fayette, Grimes and Waller counties.
Future updates will be posted on the City of Brenham and Washington County Office of Emergency Management Facebook pages.
Original Story @ 1:30 p.m. Monday: Appointments for COVID-19 vaccines at the Washington County Expo are now full for tomorrow (Tuesday).
According to the City of Brenham, the Regional Vaccination subHUB, which is scheduled to begin vaccinating tomorrow at 6 a.m. and run through 6 p.m., is now filling slots for Wednesday.
The city says the phone lines for the subHUB received over 600,000 calls within the first few hours of registration opening at 8 a.m. this (Monday) morning, including 7,000 calls within the first minute and 60,000 calls within the first few minutes.
The call center will remain open until 7 p.m. today since, according to the city, the first hour was hindered by the phone system/provider not being able to accommodate the volume of calls that occurred the first minute. Registration will continue tomorrow through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The city says the issues with the phone carrier have been resolved, and calls are being answered and screened and appointments being scheduled. Callers who continue to get a “busy” signal are asked to hang up and keep trying.
To register, call 1-800-845-8035 or 979-337-8420.
The state has allocated 2,000 vaccines for this subHUB. The subHUB will be open each weekday until vaccines run out. An announcement will be made when all appointments have been filled.
Any Texas resident that qualifies in the current 1A and 1B tier structure can register to receive a vaccine. The subHUB is being operated by Washington, Austin, Burleson, Fayette, Grimes and Waller counties.
Click here to read more about registration information for the Regional Vaccination subHUB.
The city says, as today is a federal holiday, the shipments from vaccine providers are slower than normal across the country. It says staff from all supporting counties have been working throughout the weekend to “make this process as efficient and effective as possible.” It also says the large number of people interested in receiving the vaccine was “expected and anticipated,” and the subHUB is prepared to begin vaccinations upon their arrival.
For more information, or for registration forms, visit www.localevent.info.