Updated March 1
In just over one hour, all 900 COVID-19 vaccine appointment slots for this week were filled Monday morning.
Martha’s Vineyard Hospital opened 900 vaccine appointments for eligible individuals on Monday, March 1 at 8 am—getting the hospital back on track after a supply chain issue halted appointment sign ups Saturday.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed with the hospital Saturday evening that the hospital would be receiving 1170 COVID-19 vaccine doses for the week of March 1 to March 5, according to a press release Sunday afternoon.
Of those, 900 will be made available for first dose appointments. The remaining 270 will be used for second dose appointments.
“We want to thank everyone for their patience. We are in communication with the state on a daily, if not hourly basis, to stay current on the supply chain challenges. This latest news from the state is promising that more doses will continue to come our way,” hospital president and chief executive officer Denise Schepici said in the release. “The lack of supply is not isolated to our island community; this is a state-wide and national issue. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and we want you to know our team is working very hard, within the limitations we face, to vaccinate our community as soon as people are eligible.”
In an email to The Times Monday, hospital communications specialist Marissa Lefebvre said as of Monday, March 1, the state confirmed that the hospital will receive the required number of Moderna doses for those scheduled to receive a second dose this week.
There is no change for those who received a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Second dose Pfizer vaccines will not be delayed.
Those who want to cancel an appointment should use either Patient Gateway or contact the hospital’s call center at 508-684-4500.
To schedule a vaccine appointment visit the hospital’s sign up page at mvhospital.org.
News of available vaccine appointments comes days after the hospital announced a supply chain issue halted an expected shipment of 2100 vaccine doses. The hospital was only able to fill 100 appointments before ending the appointment sign ups.
Updated to include completed vaccine sign ups and Moderna availability. — Ed.