RI to open COVID vaccine to people 65 and older on Monday
Patrick Anderson- Rhode Island opens mass vaccination sites
- Rhode Island begins vaccinating 65+
Rhode Island is hitting the accelerator on its so-far slow-speed COVID vaccine program.
Starting Monday, the state will allow Rhode Islanders 65 and older to book appointments for vaccine shots at one of two state-run mass clinics in Providence and Cranston opening Thursday morning. The first appointments will be for Tuesday.
The state launched its central vaccination sign-up system Wednesday and began taking appointments for residents 75 and older at the new clinics at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence and near the Garden City area of Cranston.
By early afternoon, 1,131 appointments had been been booked over the phone and with the Vaccinateri.org online portal, state Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said Wednesday. Appointments are currently open through Feb. 27.
Rhode Island is one of the last states to allow members of the general public younger than 75 to receive a COVID shot, and for weeks has been at or near the bottom in national vaccination rate.
On Monday. Lt. Gov. Dan McKee, who is to become governor as early as next week, said he was "not satisfied" with the pace of vaccinations.
Asked what had spurred the state to expand vaccine eligibility now, Alexander-Scott told reporters Wednesday the move to offer shots to those 65 and old was long planned to occur at about this point.
"I know people want doses administered more quickly," Alexander-Scott said. "We hear you and we agree as well. We get it 100%."
The state's ability to scale up is being made easier by another boost in vaccine supply.
A national surge in supply of Pfizer vaccine will see the state's weekly allotment of all COVID vaccine grow from around 16,000 doses to 22,500 doses, Alexander-Scott said.
More:RI is near bottom in COVID vaccinations, and McKee blames Raimondo administration
How you or a loved one can sign up for the COVID vaccine:
At least in the short term, the state wants residents 65 to 74 to get vaccinated at one of the new state-run clinics in Providence and Cranston. Together, those clinics are booking around 1,400 appointments per day, with that number expected to double in coming weeks.
Alexander-Scott said municipal clinics and retail pharmacies CVS and Walgreens should continue vaccinating residents 75 and older.
The state has set up an automated help line at (844) 930-1779 where those who can't sign up online can leave a message and receive a call back for assistance. Soon the Health Department plans to have a live call center open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekends.
Opening up vaccination to those 65 and older will more than double the number of Rhode Islanders eligible for a COVID shot. There are 103,000 Rhode Islanders who are 65 to 74 and 79,000 who are 75 and older, according to the Department of Health.
Eventually, the state plans to absorb the different municipal vaccine-registration systems into the new state system.
More:CVS, Walgreens now have the COVID vaccine. Here's how to get a shot
In response to criticism over the pace of its vaccination program, the Health Department said its focus on nursing homes, the health-care industry and other occupations has been better at reducing deaths and hospitalizations than a speed-focused system.
According to the New York Times, Rhode Island is one of five states that limit vaccine eligibility to residents 75 and older.
How Massachusetts is handling the vaccine rollout:
Massachusetts is another state limiting vaccine eligibility to residents 75 and older, and on Wednesday also announced that it would begin vaccinating residents 65 and older on Thursday. The Bay State will also vaccinate residents with two or more underlying health conditions.
More:Massachusetts allowing COVID vaccines for caregivers who accompany people over 75
More:Woman in Middlesex County first to be identified with South African COVID-19 variant
When the new state-run clinic opens Thursday, residents will be asked to attest to their age and residence. The state is not requiring documentation from all patients, Alexander-Scott said, but can investigate if they think someone is misrepresenting their age or that they live, work or attend school in Rhode Island.
"If there is someone who was not able to go through because their attestation was not accurate, we have the ability to move onto the next person to make sure no dose is wasted," she said.
As demand for vaccine has outstripped supply, many people have tried — some successfully — to take advantage any of excess doses in danger of going to waste at the end of the day.
Alexander-Scott said the state has a system to limit the number of vials that are opened at the end of the day to make sure no more than five doses are ever excess at the end of the day.
Health Department spokesman Joseph Wendelken said if there are extra doses they try to reach people who have an appointment scheduled the next day.
"At each clinic, they have the three or four people identified who they would vaccinate with an open vial," Wendelken wrote. "For example, at clinics for EMS professionals, they might have on the list an EMS professional who is scheduled to get vaccinated at the next clinic. They would have someone come sooner."
Alexander-Scott said people can sign up for appointments at more than one site, but said she hopes people will cancel any second appointments quickly so they can be opened up for someone else.
panderson@providencejournal.com
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On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_