LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Lee County's newly upgraded reservation call center reopened at noon today, allocating all 1,800 available shots within minutes as the line was inundated with 35,000 calls per second.
State reservation vendor, Tidal Basin, had about 1,000 staff answering calls.
Some callers timed out while in the process of responding to the automated prompts minutes into the reservation window. The vendor says that as this occurred, the system was quickly closed to manage appointment capacity.
Some callers reported being immediately disconnected mid-stream while in the automated greeting system. Other callers received a recording saying appointments were full.
Immediately following the reservation line closure, the Help Line also experienced a brief period of overwhelming call volume.
The vendor’s Help Line at 888-499-0851, does not schedule appointments.
The vendor bolstered staffing, and calls continued to be answered at desired service level with wait times averaging 10 minutes or less.
The United Way 2-1-1 hotline remains available for general questions about the vaccination rollout, but staffers there can not make reservations. Residents are asked to refrain from calling United Way with questions specific to the reservation vendor.
By close of business Friday, FDOH and Lee County will have administered 9,000 vaccinations to frontline healthcare workers and 65-plus seniors this week alone.
FDOH-Lee is waiting for information about the next shipment of vaccines.
When vaccinations resume, the county and state will continue to use the site located east of Interstate 75 off of Daniels Pkwy. at the old airport terminal parking lot.
No vaccinations are planned for Monday, Jan.18, as the state and county observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
