More vaccine appointments being filled in Lee County

Those who have been waiting to find out if they make it into the next round of appointments in Lee County finally have an answer.

Thousands called Monday when the county opened up its phone line, but not everyone heard back. Instead, if they didn’t get through to snag an appointment for this week, they may have been placed in a queue to be pre-registered for the next round of vaccines.

The county said that callbacks will start Thursday for appointments Jan. 12 and 13. Operators will continue to make those calls through Monday.

“I kind of feel like it’s a full-time job trying to get this vaccine,” said Marilyn Burch, who was one of hundreds trying to make an appointment Monday but instead ran into one issue or another.

Burch missed the callback but was left a voicemail.

“We want to pre-register you so that once we receive the new batch of vaccines, we can schedule your appointment. We will call you back once a new batch of vaccines is available,” she said.

That’s one call Burch won’t let go to voicemail. She knows what the virus can do when it strikes.

“My best friend’s been in the hospital with COVID since Dec. 16, so it’s real.”

Burch herself has an autoimmune disease and takes an autoimmune suppressant.

“And my rheumatologist advised to be off the drug, it’s Humera, for two weeks before I got the vaccine. I’m now three weeks off of the immune suppressant drug, and I’m beginning to feel the effects of that.”

She knows if an 833 number comes up on caller ID to answer the phone. She needs some good news – and soon.

“I just hope I get the call.”

A lot of you who have called and emailed WINK News say you don’t know if you made it into the queue.

Commissioner Brian Hamman said in a text message Thursday that as he understands it, if you got into the system, you will get a call.

So, look for an 833 number on your caller ID. If you don’t have caller ID, the best advice is to answer every call.