Binghamton Residents Frustrated by Vaccination System
Many people in the Southern Tier say they've been spending a lot of time trying to make appointments to receive a Covid-19 immunization.
Listeners to WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program on Wednesday expressed frustration over their unsuccessful efforts to register for the vaccine.
One caller said she called New York state's Covid-19 "hotline" on Monday and waited more than two hours on hold. She said the hold music stopped and she was "unceremoniously cut off."
When she called the number again Tuesday morning, she was advised there would be a 13-minute wait. The call disconnected after 14 minutes. She had similar experiences in later attempts. She said "it stinks. It really, really does." Other listeners reported similar experiences.
By late Wednesday morning, the recorded greeting on the hotline number was revised to indicate that "due to high call volume, we are temporarily unavailable to take your call." The message encourage callers to check out the state website for more information.
One Broome County listener said after spending four hours on the website, she was finally able to make a vaccine appointment for her 81-year-old mother at an Elmira supermarket. She said nothing was available locally.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com
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