FG Trade/iStockBy ERIN SCHUMAKER, ABC News
(CANTON, Mich.) — A vaccination clinic call center for seniors in Michigan was overwhelmed when it received nearly 1 million calls on Monday.
Janet Verdi, 62, told ABC News Detroit affiliate WXYZ that she placed more than 100 calls while trying to make an appointment for her husband, who is 73, but she kept getting the same pre-recorded message that said to call back.
“I think that there should be a better system for vaccinations here,” said Verdi, who was unable to secure an appointment. “There’s got to be a better way to do this.”
All the appointments for the 1,000 available doses were filled Monday, according to Anne Marie Graham-Hudak, the township supervisor in Canton, Michigan, which is near Detroit.
“As a result of registering 1,000 individuals for vaccinations and over 2,000 on our growing waiting list, our vaccination appointment call center will no longer be receiving calls,” according to the city website.
The city encouraged seniors to sign up for a waitlist on its website in anticipation of additional vaccine supply from the county health department. Seniors should also continue to register for vaccines through their health care providers and local pharmacies, the city said.
Snowstorms in the area delayed distribution of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines last week, but that backlog of supply should be distributed this week. In Michigan, 19,748 vaccines have been administered for every 100,000 residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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