Eagle County 70 and older vaccine clinics fill quickly

Eagle County on Monday issued the following press release on the overwhelming demand for the COVID-19 vaccine for Eagle County residents ages 70 and older:

Jan. 4, 2021 – This week’s scheduled clinics to administer a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to Eagle County residents aged 70 and older are full. Online registration filled in under 5 minutes, and the county phone system experienced an overwhelming volume of calls resulting in busy signals for many callers.

“We received a significant amount of interest in getting the vaccine. Our 530 slots were full before mid-morning. Obviously, this was very disappointing for residents who were hoping to receive the first dose of vaccine as soon as possible,” said Heath Harmon, Director of Eagle County Public Health and Environment. “We apologize for any frustrations our registration systems caused, and are working to improve them before our next clinics. We understand and empathize with those who were not able to schedule an appointment for this week.”

Vaccine is still in very short supply and additional clinics will be scheduled as soon as more is received. “Unfortunately, we do not know the amount and timing of additional shipments. We are allocated doses on a week-by-week basis, and will work to get those out to the community as soon as possible,” Harmon said.

Updates will be shared widely through many communications channels, including www.EagleCountyCovid.org  and the county’s social media platforms, as well as through partner organizations, medical providers and local media outlets.