Anger Mounts over Vaccine Rollout Strategy Cluster....

Anger is quickly building among constituents who are frustrated over the inability to get clear guidance on how to get a COVID-19 vaccination shot in Escambia County.

The state's rollout of this vaccination program here has been a cluster.  And that is being polite.

It's a goat rope.

Constituents in Escambia County are not happy about it either.  My office is getting irate phone calls and emails of complete and utter frustration over the State's vaccination strategy.

"Nobody answers when I call the published number!"

"I call and then a recording says go online to sign up--but I called because I do not have internet access!"

"Nobody can tell me when or where to go to get my vaccination"

These are common complaints that I am getting because our office answers the phone calls and responds to the emails.

Emails look like this:

“The Vaccination roll-out has been a complete cluster. I would hope that the commissioners will address this during tomorrow's meeting. I can't think of any agenda item that could be more important then the health of Escambia County citizens.

I 'finally' got through to the Escambia Dept of Health today (Wednesday). Obviously they are overrun w/calls. According to staff, they are being kept in the dark, like the rest of us us. There seems to be no 'real' plan in the county or the state of Florida. If this is the plan, it needs to changed, because this is not working. We call or sign up at the link and don't get a reply or anything, except an auto-thank you, so we don't know if we are registered or not. Why not have a Website/Online Tool or something, so we can see register and where we are in line, rather then having to constantly search for updates and hope to get an idea of when the next vaccination clinic is? There were months to prepare, but it appears like there was no plan. It would be great to see a brainstorming discussion at the BOCC Meeting where ideas are tossed around. Not 2 weeks from now, but asap.”

and this:

“Dear Sir:

As a SENIOR CITIZEN in Escambia County, I am dismayed at how I am being treated in regard to Covid Vaccinations.  I am asking you to please tell the SENIOR CITIZENS of Escambia County a truthful, realistic, expeditious way in which we can register for and receive our Covid Vaccinations? It is unconscionable that we have gotten nothing but jibber jabber from the appropriate agencies in our county.  These are the very same agencies that are here to “protect and cater to our SENIOR CITIZENS.”  I THINK NOT...My husband and I have been calling constantly, day and night, to the agencies and phone numbers provided. There is no way to get through; the line rings “busy” every time.  And the website recommended is not even up-and-running.  And yet thousands of vaccinations have been given. How did those people get appointments?   Certainly not using the phone numbers and websites dispersed to the public by health officials and Emergency Management. Not providing us with a viable and fair way to register for and receive the Covid Vaccination is disrespectful of our esteemed ELDERS, detrimental to our health, and actually, quite shameful!  I hope that there is a logical resolution to this problem and that ALL CITIZENS of Escambia County can fairly and straight-forwardly receive our inoculations.”

Yeah, so folks are mad.

I'm now told that even despite all of the state's problems---some way, somehow, The State Department of Health in Escambia County still has managed to compile a "list" of about 10,000 residents that have reached out to them wanting vaccination.  But the state has told our staff they cannot handle the logistics of distributing the vaccines.  So now this is falling on us to fund--as I pointed out last week.

We're jumping in with a solution that will maximize the county's various distribution channels to move the vaccines locally and get as many citizens the shot as possible--that will be approved at tonight's meeting.