DOH-Charlotte says appointments can run out while callers are on phone

Getting callbacks for the coronavirus vaccine feels a lot like an attempt to win the lottery for many people, and some of those calls are turning out to be disappointing.

Goria Dumas-Ropp and her husband are spending every single day near the phone at their home in South Gulf Cove.

“We started staying home all the time,” Dumas-Ropp said. “We decided that we would go for groceries every other week.”

Once they received a call from the State’s COVID-19 vaccine appointment line, they were met with frustration.

“They call you to schedule something, and you go through the information,” Dumas-Ropp said. “Then in about two to three minutes, they are all gone,” Dumas-Ropp said.

Several seniors in Charlotte County told us they went through the same thing, and it happened to Dumas-Ropp twice.

“There’s obviously some growing pains with any new system, but it’s been a game changer in addressing the anxiety people of had,” said Joseph Pepe, the administrator for Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County.

We explained Dumas-Ropp’s experience to Pepe, and he told us the appointments run out when callers are on the line with other users, and those users will be called when additional vaccines are available.

“It would be nice if they could have five minutes to get it in the system and then go onto the next person,” Dumas-Ropp responded when we explained the health department’s response.

We also asked the health department if scammers might be making these phone calls. Pep said he’s unaware of any vaccine scam phone calls and added the State uses different phone numbers, so the lines aren’t flagged as spam.

Dumas-Ropp told us she has low expectations with high hopes.

“It’s extremely frustrating, and I’m sure it is for a lot of people,” she said.