Northwell Health Receiving Higher Volume Of Calls On Vaccine

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — Vaccine eligibility has opened up and local hospital systems like Northwell Health are seeing more interest, but that doesn’t mean that those who are willing to roll up their sleeves are any closer to receiving the vaccine — that still might be months away due to the availability of the vaccine.

“We are experiencing a higher volume of calls because of people in the community trying to book appointments to get the vaccine and we are working to ensure everyone who is eligible to get the vaccine has the resources they need to do so,” said Joseph Kemp, assistant Vice President of Public Relations.

Northwell Health is directing members of the public to its Coronavirus Digital Resource Center, which has a detailed list of vaccination sites throughout Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and New York City, according to Kemp. From there, he explained, members of the community can get more information and some direction as to how to book an appointment. Though Kemp did reiterate that the appointment availability is based on vaccine supply, so it could take some time for people who are eligible and interested in receiving the vaccine to do so.

As vaccine eligibility has opened up to other groups, including seniors over 65 and first responders, many Long Islanders began reporting long wait times on the phone and crashing websites. In two samples of the state’s eligibility determination application, Patch found that one person was directed to a vaccination site 12 miles away from their home and that location, a pharmacy, did not have the vaccine and appointments could not be scheduled. Other suggestions offered the state’s hotline, which then directed callers to vaccine hotlines set up for their respective counties. Nassau County’s hotline is directing callers to the county’s website, which has links to vaccination sites where appointments can be scheduled. In the case of Suffolk, which has a higher amount of posited COVID-19 cases, the hotline was busy.

More from Patch:

• How to make a reservation
• Vaccine eligibility expands

To find out if you are eligible to receive the vaccine, visit https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov