The demand for vaccinations against Maui continues to exceed supply, forcing a temporary suspension in providing new appointments for the first doses at Maui Hospital.
Maui Health, which runs the vaccination clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center, has also postponed appointments for people requesting a first dose and who have already arranged a meeting between January 17 and February 7, 2021.
“Unfortunately, last night we were informed by the state that we will not receive the transport scheduled for this weekend and next week. Because of this, I made the difficult decision to postpone all appointments for the first dose scheduled from Sunday, January 17 to Sunday, February 7. ”
Tracy Dallarda, communications director for Maui Health / Maui Memorial Medical Center
This is to make sure we have enough vaccine to give the second dose to those who ask for it in the next few weeks, said Tracy Dallarda, communications director for Maui Health / Maui Memorial Medical Center.
Affected individuals affected by this first dose delay were notified by e-mail that they used to register for the appointment. Since then, they have been included on a list of priorities to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Maui Health is able to provide and maintain a sufficient amount of vaccines from the state.
“As soon as we receive confirmation that there are enough vaccines on the way to Maui Health, we will send these people a link to a private booking portal (NOT the CDC’s VAMS website) to reschedule a meeting,” Dallarda said.
Maui Health has also set new clinic hours for those already scheduled to receive the second dose. These people should have received an email with more specific instructions.
Changes include:
- Maui Health Clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center will be closed on Sunday, January 17 and Monday, January 25
- Starting Monday, January 18, the Maui Vaccine Health Clinic will operate only for Pfizer scheduled vaccinations ONLY.
- The new clinic hours are from 7:30 to 20:00, Monday to Friday ONLY.
Furthermore, Maui Health does not accept any new scheduling requests at this time.
If a Maui resident has already submitted an appointment request form and is still in trouble, they are asked to send an email. [email protected] with
their concerns.
“Although we don’t schedule new appointments, we can help you set up your account when new appointments become available.” said Dallarda. “We know this is frustrating. Please know that we are tirelessly advocating for Maui to ensure that we receive a fair share of vaccines so that any member of the Maui community who wishes to be vaccinated can be. ”
The hospital’s vaccination clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center includes a special office scheduling system that allows the coupon to schedule time when volunteers can help with the online registration process. There is also a dedicated phone number and email address to answer questions and help them navigate the programming process.
The Maui Health Community Vaccination Clinic began on Friday, January 8, and has since vaccinated more than 3,000 community members and 1,000 more employees and providers.
The hospital received 1,500 requests a day from people who want to get vaccinated; for a total of 11,000 people (as of Thursday, January 14) who had entered the system and were waiting for appointments.
The hospital is the only site in Maui that has extended vaccinations to those in priority group 1B under the CDC’s priority setting calendar.
Maui’s other clinic is a car site operated by the state Department of Health – the Maui District Health Office at the University of Hawai’i Maui College. The College Distribution Point or POD site is considered a “closed POD” that is not open to the general public or many in Group 1B. It is still working to meet the vaccination requests from the higher priority group 1A, as well as for the first responders.
The UHMC site had difficulties last week, when an unexpected crowd appeared on both Monday and Wednesday, including those outside the site’s priority group. Some were rejected and asked to wait for further instructions.
Those who are vaccinated should keep in mind that the hospital’s vaccination clinic currently only offers the Pfizer vaccine; while the UHMC pop-up clinic is currently administering the Moderna vaccine.
“The first dose, if it is with Moderna, the second dose must be with the same manufacturer, Moderna. If you come here (to the hospital) and the first dose is Pfizer, the second dose must be Pfizer, ”said Chrissy Miller and Maui Health’s Nursing Manager.
Lieutenant Governor Josh Green has estimated that demand for the vaccine is “about 3 to 1, or maybe even 5 to 1,” at present. “And that will tip us in a better direction for us, as we get the vaccine to grow, which was promised to us in the third week of January, where we are heading right now.”
“I think your point of return will be around, if I had to guess, March 1, when it suddenly seems to have reached a balance, where the right number of people are asked based on the right number of vaccines. . It is not that far away, “Lt. Green said during a visit to Maui on Thursday.
Updates will be provided as they become available.