San Antonio Metro Health says there will not be a waiting list for COVID-19 vaccinations

Jammed phone lines and “registration full” notices on the COVID-19 vaccination registration site for city-run hubs have some residents asking if a waiting list would help, but Metro Health says there are no plans to implement one.

Appointments for mass vaccination sites at the Alamodome and WellMed centers fill up almost as soon as they open. While the two WellMed facilities are conducting registrations solely by phone, the Alamodome offers online sign-ups. Residents have reported rare instances where appointments free up, but the chance of catching one is small, and means refreshing the site regularly.

MySA readers and those airing their frustrations online have asked if a waiting list would be possible to better fill the gaps that come available in the case of cancellations or no-shows.

A representative for Metro Health says the department will not be offering a wait list at this time. The Alamodome is using a new system for the additional 9,000 doses announced Friday. Rather than opening a floodgate by making the entire week of appointments available, registration will be on a rolling basis with 2,000 slots opening daily.

“We will be adding slots as they become available due to no-shows or extra vaccine availability,” the representative said. “Other large cities have tried (the waiting list) approach and have not been successful.”

Metro Health did not have a figure for how many no-shows or cancellations happened during the first round of mass vaccinations, citing this was only the first week of operation for the hub and available data.

Those currently eligible to receive the vaccine are healthcare workers, anyone 65 and older or adults 16 and older with chronic health conditions, per state guidelines. Vaccine usage also differs — Pfizer’s is recommended for those 16 and older while its Moderna counterpart is recommended for adults 18 and up.

Appointment registration for the Alamodome vaccination site is available online here. Residents without internet access can call 311 and selection option 8 to book an appointment.

The registration hotline for the WellMed centers will open Saturday. The number to call is 1-833-968-1745.

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | [email protected] | @maddyskye