ATLANTA — Many people across the metro have complained that finding an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine has become like a full-time job.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden went looking for answers that will hopefully ease your stress.
Many Georgians said they are willing to drive as far as they need to for a vaccine, but right now, doses are in short supply, and it’s nearly impossible to find an appointment.
“Either it says nothing, or it says a list of dates that are all booked, or the wheel just spins,” said Gwinnett County resident Jody Pollack. “I spoke to every county and every organization or company that’s providing the vaccine, it says fully booked. Fully booked.”
This has resulted in confusion and frustration for Georgians struggling to get a vaccine appointment.
“There’s a point where you go, ‘Well, now what?’” Pollack said.
He told Seiden that he and his wife Judith Friedman are among many Georgians who are losing their patience.
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They’ve spent countless hours searching websites in hopes of getting a shot since the state expanded eligibility to residents 65 and over earlier this month, but as of Tuesday evening, their efforts to find a vaccine haven’t paid off.
“It’s the frustration of not knowing where you are and are you going to miss it because you looked at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Pollack said.
In a video produced by Publix, the supermarket chain gives us a glimpse of what you can expect if you are lucky enough to score a vaccine appointment.
The only problem is that every site across the state is already fully booked.
“We understand the frustration. We want to make sure that we have information that’s free-flowing and updated information in real-time,” said Publix spokeswoman Nicole Krauss.
Nicole says she and her staff are working hard to obtain more doses, but for now, don’t waste your time
searching Publix’s website.
“Traditionally, what will happen is we will find out about a shipment and we will let our media partners now and get the message out 24 hours before, and then the following morning at six, appointments on our website will go live,” Krauss said.
It’s a similar story at grocery chains like Ingles and Kroger. Seiden tried to find an opening online, but everything was booked.
Since the vaccine rollout began, Georgia has ranked at the bottom for distribution. That’s something Gov. Brian Kemp says is not accurate.
Kemp says the biggest problem is significant underreporting by those administering it.
As for Pollack and Friedman, they don’t want to wait around any longer. They are desperate for protection from COVID-19, so they’re now turning to their doctor for help.
“They said, ‘Yes, you can get on a list here, and that’s as far as the conversation went. They don’t know when they’re getting their next batch, and we don’t know where we are in line,” Pollack said.
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