After a chaotic Saturday morning that saw widespread confusion when the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital received no new state vaccine shipments, the hospital said Sunday that it had received 1,170 doses for the upcoming week and will reopen vaccine sign-ups Monday at 8 a.m.
According to a press release that went out Sunday afternoon, the hospital received confirmation of the doses from the state Department of Public Health on Saturday evening. The release said 900 appointments for the week of Monday, March 1 to Friday, March 5 would open up Monday morning.
The remaining 270 doses, according to the release, will be used for second dose appointments.
On Saturday morning the hospital had planned to open availability for about 2,100 vaccine appointments for the coming week.
But those plans were thrown into flux when the hospital received no vaccine from the state by Friday evening. At 8 a.m. Saturday the hospital announced on its website that only had 100 appointments would be available for the week, catching the public by surprise and sparking widespread confusion among eligible Islanders 65 and older, and those with two or more underlying conditions.
The 100 appointments filled in four minutes.
Clinics had run smoothly throughout the week until the Saturday morning frustration.
In an emailed statement Sunday, hospital CEO Denise Schepici thanked Islanders for their patience and reiterated that the lack of vaccine supply was a statewide issue.
“We are in communication with the state on a daily, if not hourly basis, to stay current on the supply chain challenges,” Ms. Schepici said. “This latest news from the state is promising that more doses will continue to come our way.”
To schedule an appointment Monday morning, hospital officials said eligible Islanders should click on the yellow bar at the top of the hospital’s home page that says “schedule your Covid-19 vaccine appointment.” The link will then take patients to the scheduling tool, they said.
Also Sunday, the hospital continued to report there could be a delay with the state’s supply of the second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
There is no expected change for patients who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
“The hospital has been informed by the state that there is a supply issue with the second dose of the Moderna vaccine,” the statement said. “If the hospital is not able to provide a second dose at the time of your appointment, the hospital will call you to reschedule your appointment for the second dose.”
Ms. Schepici said the hospital was committed to ensuring all eligible Islanders get vaccinated.
“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,” she said.
