1,100 appointments for Juneau’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic got booked in 25 minutes

Update | 5:44 p.m.

Capital City Fire/Rescue paramedic Lily Kincaid injects firefighter/EMT Pete Ostman with a dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the downtown station in Juneau on Dec. 17, 2020.
Capital City Fire/Rescue paramedic Lily Kincaid injects firefighter/EMT Pete Ostman with a dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine at the downtown station in Juneau on Dec. 17, 2020. Osman used to be in Army, which he says turned him into a “pincushion” with various shots before deployments. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)

All 1,100 appointments for this weekend’s mass COVID-19 vaccination event in Juneau are booked.

“All of the vaccine slots were filled within 25 minutes of opening,” said Deputy City Manager Mila Cosgrove. The booking system went live at noon Monday.

It got mixed feedback from two of Juneau’s elected officials on Monday night.

“It’s been really, really really hard, and very frustrating, and people are very happy with the work the CBJ’s been doing,” Assembly member Michelle Hale said to city staff at the end of a committee meeting. “So I just can’t thank you enough. Every single person that gets that vaccine brings us one step closer. So thank you.”

“Ms. Hale, I’m going to need your help,” Assembly member Loren Jones replied with a chuckle. “‘Cause I’ve failed twice. … Still no appointments.”

Vaccine eligibility is limited  mainly to people age 65 and up, like Jones, or frontline health care workers.

In city officials’ weekly COVID-19 community update on Tuesday, City Manager Rorie Watt apologized for the frustration. He also said he appreciated that the community wants to get vaccinated.

“So some communities are struggling with the question of, ‘How do we convince people to get vaccinated?’” Watt said. “And we don’t have that problem here. I think Juneau’s been really receptive to the science and the public health.”

Watt said city staff hope to schedule more mass vaccination events.

As of today, city officials know of 10 residents with active cases. Case numbers are trending down here and statewide. City officials lowered the local risk level and community restrictions one notch on Monday.

Original story | 4:01 p.m.

Juneau city officials are holding their weekly COVID-19 community update at 4 p.m. today. You can watch on this post, on the City and Borough of Juneau’s Facebook page or on Zoom. The public can submit questions in advance to CovidQuestions@juneau.org.

As of today, city officials know of 10 residents with active cases. Case numbers are trending down here and statewide.

The emergency operations center reported yesterday that all 1,100 appointments for its upcoming mass vaccination event have been booked. They were all gone after 25 minutes of the system going live Monday.

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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