What To Know About Getting The Coronavirus Vaccine In Tiverton

TIVERTON, RI — Tiverton residents 75 years old and up can sign up for the town's COVID-19 vaccine waiting list. Because the town is receiving a limited supply of vaccine doses, rollout is going slowly, town officials said.

Chris Cotta, the town administrator, said 80 elderly Tiverton residents were vaccinated Wednesday.

"I am going to be as frank as I can so you get a very clear picture of what Tiverton is doing with respect to vaccines," Cotta said in a message to residents. "Believe me, I wish we had vaccines available for everyone but as of right now we are getting a very limited supply to distribute."

To help streamline the process, the town is creating a registry of residents who are 75 years and older. When the final authorization of weekly vaccine allocations is complete, the list will be sorted oldest to youngest and used to create vaccine appointments.

Starting the week of Feb. 18, the town expects to receive 110 doses per week, for four weeks. Everyone selected for an appointment during this period will receive their second dose four weeks later. No further information has been provided from the state about what to expect after the initial eight weeks, Cotta said.

At this time, vaccines are being distributed at the regional clinic site at Colt State Park in Bristol, though town officials are working to have them distributed in Tiverton, in a joint site with Little Compton.

According to the voter registry, there are 1,850 people aged 75 or older in Tivertonm along with about 150 senior residents who do not live in the town full-time, Cotta said.

"At this rate it will be nearly eight months just to vaccinate the population of 75 and older in Tiverton with first and second shots unless the State provides more vaccines than what they allocated above," Cotta explained.

Town workers are building an online portal for residents to register for COVID-19 vaccines, and expect it to be up and running as soon as early next week. A phone bank will also be available for residents who do not have internet access. More information will be posted on the town's website as it becomes available.

"I suggest contacting your medical professional and or your pharmacist to see if and when they may be allowed to provide vaccines," Cotta concluded. "I am hoping other venues will be allowed beyond just the Town to provide these critical vaccines."