COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency says at this time the demand for COVID-19 vaccination exceeds the amount of vaccine that is being allocated to the tri-county area.
In a statement posted Monday on the agency’s web site, the agency said they rolled out an online scheduler that allows citizens to schedule their own appointment last week. While the system worked well, appointments filled within a matter of minutes.
Since the health agency released those first schedules, they have heard from people who are frustrated because they don’t know when new schedules will be posted on their website.
Beginning with the week of January 25th, they will post available vaccine appointments at www.bhsj.org on Mondays at 9:00 am.
Due to Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, the appointments were made available on the website on Tuesday morning for vaccination clinics on Wednesday at Centreville High School, on Thursday at the Dearth Community Center in Coldwater and on Saturday at Hillsdale High School. It only took a few minutes to fill all of the slots for this weeks clinics. More appointments may be available if the C.H.A. gets more vaccines.
Vaccinations are currently being offered to Health care workers and Long term care workers and residents (except for LTC’s in the pharmacy program) who were not able to get the vaccine at previous vaccination events, Seniors 65 years of age and older, Childcare and PreK-12 educational staff, Front-line essential workers (police, firefighters, corrections workers, inspectors) and Congregate care facilities (homeless shelters, juvenile justice, and child care staff).
The Community Health Agency is working with local Commission on Agings, the 3-C Area Agency on Aging and Region 2 to help those over 65 know they are eligible for vaccination.
How can you sign up online for the shot when the local schools had sign up times for the employees.