Here’s what it was like at Columbus mass COVID vaccination site on 1st day of no appointments
Eric Mailman misses his weekly, in-person Dungeons & Dragons games. The 36-year-old Columbus resident wants his friends in the same room, bonding together over the popular fantasy tabletop role-playing game. It’s just not the same on the computer, he said.
He’s one step closer to making that a reality as Mailman was one of the more than 600 people who got a shot at the Columbus Civic Center mass vaccination site (1 Lumpkin Blvd.) as of 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
It’s the first day of the state’s expanded eligibility that allows all Georgians over the age of 16 to be vaccinated. Appointment requirements at the site were suspended by Gov. Brian Kemp and state officials Wednesday afternoon through at least Friday.
Traffic began to pick up at the site Wednesday afternoon following Kemp’s announcement, said Jason Ritter, the site’s director and the Area 4 field coordinator for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
“We had 230 scheduled for appointments yesterday. After the governor left, we got busy. By the end of the day, we were over 700,” Ritter said.
Thursday was the site’s busiest day since opening March 17. Thirty clinical and 60 military personnel kept the lines running smoothly. License plates from counties all over the state filled the parking lot. Estimated time from entry to exit, including the 15-minute observation period, was roughly 38-40 minutes in the morning. As of 3:30 p.m., around 1,500 doses had been administered, GEMA officials said.
Ritter said that he feels confident the site could handle 1,500 shots per day with its current staffing and will be able to expand as needed. The site could handle between 2,500-3,000 doses.
But the site hasn’t operated at capacity since opening. From March 17-23, the site administered 3,447 total doses for an average of roughly 689 shots per day. That could change with expanded eligibility and ending the appointment requirement.
“It’s not that we haven’t hit what we wanted to. It’s that we haven’t hit what we are capable of hitting,” Ritter said. “We want to get as many people as possible in here. ...700 a day is a good number.”
Mailman exited the Civic Center site just before 11 a.m. He scheduled his second dose before leaving, and he said he’s excited about the possibility of getting back together with his Dungeons & Dragons friends in person.
“I had two games that I went to — one on Fridays and one on Sundays. I really miss them,” he said. “I miss being able to hang out, roll the dice, play the game and see what happens. I’m looking forward to being able to hang out with my friends again.”
If you go
The site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Those eligible can preregister for an appointment at any mass vaccine site by visiting myvaccinegeorgia.com or calling the site-specific phone number. The number for the Columbus site is 844-276-1131. If you require special assistance, call the TTY number at 844-277-2803.
While appointments aren’t required, they are strongly encouraged. It will make the process quicker and guarantee that you receive a shot, state officials said.
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 2:39 PM.