MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Those with city of Memphis are making final preparations ahead of Friday, when COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be available to everyone in Shelby County ages 16 and older.
"Our aim is to get as many shots into as many arms as fast as we possibly can," City of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen said.
McGowen said they've worked with the state call center to double the number of operators Friday, when those appointment slots will be announced - and worked with IT to ensure there's enough bandwidth on the SignUpGenius website to accommodate demand.
"We will receive a significant uptick but it won't be enough to do everybody in one week, or even one month. And so I'll ask for a little bit of patience. May 1st was really the deadline. We are accelerating that here locally and with the state," McGowen said.
The city's COO hopes to have more than 300,000 doses administered by Easter weekend, and to be able to put as many as 50,000 total doses into arms each week next month.
"We are right in the position here where going into the Easter weekend, we will have exhausted our supply. We will be receiving new doses and we anticipate that week, on or around the 5th, 6th and 7th, that we will see a significant uptick in the number of vaccines that we receive in Memphis and Shelby County. Now we are ready for that. We are ready to expand our ability to administer those vaccines so that it matches exactly the number of vaccines that we have," McGowen said.
If you are 16 or 17 getting a vaccine, you must have parental consent in the online form, a parent must be present at the vaccination of minors and they'll only be allowed to the Pfizer vaccine.
McGowen said he felt it was the right time to allow all adults the opportunity to be vaccinated.
"About 10% no shows and about 5% of vaccine appointment slots not filled in the last two weeks, so that was a sign to us that it was time to move on to the next phase," McGowen said.
Right now, more than 30,000 weekly doses are given at the five fixed vaccine sites across Shelby County.
This weekend will include a pop up vaccine site in Orange Mound at Melrose High School.
McGowen said in weeks ahead, vaccine pop up opportunities will also happen at The Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church in Oakhaven, Golden Gate Church in north Memphis, New Baptist Church in south Memphis, and St. Paul Baptist near Memphis International Airport.
All teachers in Shelby County are expected to be vaccinated by next Tuesday.
"The good news here is we are opening it to all adults. The better news - we will have more vaccine coming in to Memphis and Shelby County the first week of April, so we are showing no signs of slowing down," McGowen said. "I realize for next week our demand will far outstrip the number of doses and appointments that we have, but I want to fill every single appointment that we do have next week. And I want people to be looking forward to that first week of April when we will have more doses available."
The vaccine eligibility expansion news was a relief to Jennifer Larrabee, whose son Jack - a junior at Houston High School - plans to get the vaccine in the coming days.
"It is an unimaginable relief," Larrabee said. "I feel like we are in the home stretch of all being safe. I can't even picture being able to go outside and do the things that we used to, that still hasn't really sunk in."