UMC took online vaccine registrations with no advance notice, filled 7k spots in 10 minutes
UPDATE: A UMC spokesman tells ABC-7 the hospital is mindful that some elderly El Pasoans don’t have internet access to be able to sign up for an appointment online.
If you have a family member or relative 75 or older who falls in this situation, you can email UMC in the hopes that they *may* be able to accommodate them with an appointment at some point.
You can submit their/your information by emailing:
comments-questions@umcelpaso.org
ORIGINAL REPORT: EL PASO, Texas -- University Medical Center said Saturday it had received 7,000 more doses of coronavirus vaccine to distribute at its vaccination mega-site at the El Paso County Coliseum.
Registration opened at 12:30 p.m. online at UMCelpaso.org and the 7,000 appointments were booked within ten minutes.
Unlike the last two weeks, UMC this time gave no advance notice to either their social media followers or the news outlets. Word went out from the hospital at 12:31 p.m., after they had already opened up the appointment portal for those in state vaccination categories 1A and 1B, which includes healthcare workers, first-responders, anyone 65 and older or others with certain underlying health conditions.
The UMC website only accepted registrations until all the open appointments were scheduled. After that point, the site closed access.
The last two times UMC received vaccine shipments and took registrations online, all appointments for shots were also filled within a matter of minutes. It took just five minutes a week ago to fill all the slots, and 12 minutes the prior week.
In addition to UMC, the city of El Paso is also providing public vaccine distribution at a mega-site; the city site is near the airport and appointment pre-registration is available at EPCovidVaccine.com or by phoning 21-COVID (212-6843). Unlike UMC, the city site keeps a waiting list and contacts those who have signed-up when it's their turn to be vaccinated.
