Demand for vaccinations on Maui continues to outpace supply, forcing a temporary suspension to get new first-dose appointments at the Maui hospital.
Maui Health, which runs the vaccination clinic at Maui Memorial Medical Center, has also postponed appointments for individuals seeking a first dose who had already made an appointment between January 17 and February 7, 2021.
“Unfortunately last night we were told by the state that we will not receive the expected shipment for this weekend and next week. That’s why we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone all first-dose appointments scheduled between Sunday, January 17 and Sunday, February 7. “
Tracy Dallarda, Communications Director for Maui Health / Maui Memorial Medical Center
“This is to make sure we have enough vaccine to deliver the second dose to those who need it in the coming weeks,” said Tracy Dallarda, communications director of Maui Health / Maui Memorial Medical Center.
Affected individuals affected by this first dose delay have been notified via the email they used to register for their appointment. They have since been placed on a priority list to receive the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine once Maui Health is able to secure and maintain adequate state vaccine supplies.
“Once we receive confirmation that sufficient vaccines are on the way to Maui Health, we will link these individuals to a private booking portal (NOT the CDC’s VAMS site) to reschedule an appointment,” said Dallarda.
Maui Health has also instituted new clinic regimens for those already scheduled to receive their second dose. These individuals should have received an email with more specific instructions.
Changes include:
- The Maui Health clinic at the Maui Memorial Medical Center is closed on Sunday January 17 and Monday January 25
- Beginning Monday, January 18, the Maui Health Vaccinations Clinic will ONLY work for the SECOND-DOSE Pfizer vaccinations already scheduled.
- The clinic’s new opening hours are 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday ONLY.
In addition, Maui Health is not currently accepting new appointment requests.
If a Maui resident has already submitted an appointment request form and is still having issues, they will be asked to send an email [email protected] with
their concerns.
“While we don’t schedule new appointments, we can help you set up an account for when new appointments become available,” said Dallarda. “We know this is frustrating. Please know that we are tirelessly advocating for Maui to ensure that we receive a fair share of the vaccines so that any member of the Maui community who wants to be vaccinated can get vaccinated. “
The Maui Memorial Medical Center vaccination clinic has a dedicated help desk appointment system that allows kupuna to schedule time for volunteers to assist with the online registration process. There is also a dedicated phone number and email address to answer questions and help them navigate the appointment process.
The Maui Health Community Vaccination Clinic began on Friday, January 8 and has since vaccinated more than 3,000 community members and an additional 1,000+ employees and health care providers.
The hospital has received 1,500 requests per day from people seeking a vaccine; for a total of 11,000 people (as of Thursday, January 14) who had entered the system and were awaiting appointments.
The hospital is the only location on Maui that has expanded vaccinations to those in the 1B priority group according to the CDC’s priority line.
Maui’s other clinic is a drive-in site operated by the State Department of Health-Maui District Health office at the University of Hawai’i Maui College. The Point of Distribution site or POD at the college is considered a “closed POD” that is not accessible to the general public or many in the wider 1B group. It is still working to fulfill vaccination requests in the higher 1A priority group, as well as the first responders.
The UHMC site had a tough time over the past week, when an unexpected crowd turned up on Monday and Wednesday, including those outside the site’s priority ranks. Some were turned down and asked to await further instructions.
Those getting vaccinated should note that the hospital’s vaccination clinic currently only offers the Pfizer vaccine; while the UHMC pop-up clinic is currently administering the Moderna vaccine.
Your first dose, if it is with Moderna, should be your second dose from the same manufacturer, Moderna. If you come here (to the hospital) and your first dose is Pfizer, your second dose must also be Pfizer, ”said Chrissy Miller and Manager Health Nurse at Maui Health.
Lt. Governor Josh Green currently estimates demand for the vaccine at “about 3 to 1, or maybe even 5 to 1”. “And that will soon turn in a better direction when we get our vaccination wave, which is promised to us in the third week of January, where we are going now.”
“I think your tipping point will be around March 1, if I had to guess, when all of a sudden it seems to have reached a balance where exactly the right number of people are asking based on the right number of vaccines. It’s not really that far away, ”said Lt. Gov. Green while visiting Maui on Thursday.
Updates are provided as soon as they are available.