WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — A Williamsburg vaccine clinic ran into some obstacles when a registration link for the clinic was shared and forwarded publicly.
At the Williamsburg Visitor's Center, nearly 1,000 people from the surrounding community were successfully vaccinated Friday with their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including many local teachers.
However, Williamsburg city manager Andrew Trivette told 13News Now over 100 people signed up for the clinic who weren't supposed to.
While the clinic was designed solely for second-dose vaccinations, some people had gotten access to the link looking to receive their first dose.
“Sometimes the temptation is too great, or people are unaware, and they share the email with friends," Trivette said.
The City of Williamsburg discouraged people who weren't properly registered from coming to the clinic, saying in a Facebook post:
The link sent by the Virginia Department of Health to schedule a vaccine appointment for Friday, Feb. 26 at the Greater Williamsburg Clinic in Colonial Williamsburg’s Visitor Center has been widely shared.
As a result, hundreds of people scheduled appointments for their FIRST dose and will be turned away tomorrow morning. Only second doses are being administered at the clinic on Friday.
“One example is a local parishioner shared the link with their pastor, and the pastor posted that email to the church," Trivette said.
At maximum capacity, the clinic has the ability to vaccinate roughly 3,500 people in a single day, but supply only allows them to administer a small fraction of that capability. Trivette says that because of this difference in supply and demand, every dose matters, and needs to go to the right person.
“If somebody did slip through, we’d have to turn someone away that had legitimately scheduled an appointment," Trivette said.
To check on your registration status for the COVID vaccine or to learn more information, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call (877) 829-4682.