Vaccination appointments filled within minutes

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)-Eligible people hoping to secure an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination Saturday found disappointment instead.

The available time slots were filled and the registration closed within minutes of opening. The Eastern Idaho Public Health District filled the available slots through its website and by phone.

EIPH said there are 30,000 people in the 8-county district eligible for the vaccine at this time. Those are people age 65 and older. There were only 2,100 doses of vaccine available.

The district will be holding clinics throughout the month of February. The next sign-up period will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 11.

EIPH said there may be some appointments opening before then, if cancellations occur.

The district will post latest information on its website and Facebook page.

District Director Geri Rackow said the district will be recommending many changes to its vendors' online scheduling tool. Phone lines were also overwhelmed and prohibited people from getting to a recorded message informing them that appointments had been filled.

For Southeastern Idaho appointments click here