If there is anyone who is an expert in the drive-thru experience, it is the manager of a fast food restaurant.
CNN reports that when a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinic in South Carolina was supported, the mayor hired an expert – the manager of the local Chick-fil-A restaurant.
According to CNN, the clinic opened on January 22, but soon became overwhelmed, causing the computer system registrations to lose the handling of the registration.
The mayor, Will Haynie told CNN, immediately thought of Jerry Walkowiak, the manager of a nearby Chick-fil-A.
“When I heard about it, I called Jerry and asked if he would come and help us,” Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie told CNN. ‘After looking at it, he said,’ There you have your problem. It is backed up because there is one person checking people in. Then he showed us how to do it right. “
Walkowiak quickly organized more volunteers and reduced the hours of waiting time to just 15 minutes.
The clinic gave the vaccine to 1,000 people that day, CNN reported. When those people return for their second dose on Feb. 12, Walkowiak said he will be there.
Walkowiak told WCBD that, “We saw a little glitch in their drive-thru system and we needed a little more people, so we gathered some of the great Rotary volunteers and went over there and just speed up the registration part.”
Officials are turning to major event organizers and fast food managers to handle major events such as mass testing and vaccination sites.
According to The Associated Press, the state of Massachusetts has asked Boston Marathon director Dave McGillivray “to conduct massive vaccination operations at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park.
In his day-to-day work through the pandemic, he is part of an emerging group of event organizers and other unconventional logistics experts who are using their skills to help the nation vaccinate as many people as possible against COVID-19. “
AP reported, “It’s amazing how our event management skills can be applied to running a massive vaccination site,” said McGillivray, who has led the marathon for more than three decades.
The drive for creative solutions comes as virus cases increase nationwide, the number of testing and vaccination sites grows, and tempers flare up as government websites crash under the digital weight of millions desperate to meet. “
AP reported that Starbucks and Amazon were supporting vaccination operations in Washington state. In California, Disneyland is hosting a massive vaccination effort, as is Six Flags Magic Mountain, about 60 miles north.