NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Shipbuilding said out of its 25,000 employees, they'd vaccinated more than 5,000 by March 19.
But an influx of appointments last week led to an IT glitch with the registration line, preventing employees from making an appointment, the company said.
As IT works on the issues, the registration is back open for employees to make an appointment.
The business' medical director, Dr. Steven Apostoles, said it wasn't easy getting the proper number of doses. He said after getting 300 Moderna doses earlier in 2021, they went two weeks without receiving any supplies.
Now, he said the company was back on track with a recent increase in supply. Newport News Shipbuilding has been able to get more people to roll up their sleeves.
"It's a monumental task just figuring out the math, so we'll be open as long as we need to get everyone who wants to be, vaccinated," Apostoles said.
Morgan Johnson is a mechanical engineer and has been working with Newport News Shipbuilding for more than two years. She said she was elated to get her first dose Friday morning.
"I'm very excited," said Johnson. "It feels really good that we'll be able to get back to normal as soon as possible."
Jerry Carr, a 38-year shipyard veteran, was also relieved to get his first dose. He said his wife is a healthcare worker, which motivates him to get vaccinated and keep others around him safe.
"I think it's important that everybody should get vaccinated, but a lot of guys say they're going to wait to see what happens," Carr explained. "I still think it's best to get vaccinated."
Apostoles said many employees were still hesitant to get the vaccine.
The company is not making it mandatory, but it is encouraging the workers to consider the positive outcomes that could come from the vaccine.
Apostoles said they were vaccinating up to 1,000 workers every day, but expect it to take months until the workplace reaches herd immunity.