Slow vaccine rollout, long wait times and a lack of doses cause frustration

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Alyssa Galvan of San Jose was put on hold for more than 2 hours while trying to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at Kaiser for her 66-year-old father.

"I dialed at 12:03 and I finally talked to someone at 2:06. I was just listening to the hold music that whole time," said Galvan.

The state recently expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to residents age 65 and older. But Galvan said she got the runaround and the hospital did not seem prepared to handle the high number of callers.

"That first day I had to make three different phone calls. I had 5 different phone numbers. I kept getting re-routed," said Galvan. "They were not prepared in the way I expected them to be."

In a statement, Kaiser wrote, "We sincerely apologize to our members who have encountered long wait times when calling for a vaccination appointment and understand the frustration this causes."

Kaiser said it is taking action by increasing staff at the call center, and by next week there should be an option for patients to self-schedule vaccine appointments.

Read Kaiser’s entire statement here:

COVID-19 vaccine supply is limited and unpredictable. The recent expansion of eligibility by the state to include individuals over 65 years old has challenged the entire health system including Kaiser Permanente.  It is important to know that providers are informed of their vaccine deliveries on a weekly basis and at this time, we are awaiting additional vaccine delivery. As a result, most individuals will not be able to schedule a vaccine appointment. Kaiser Permanente is committed to getting our supplies of COVID-19 vaccine to our members and communities as soon as possible and to communicate frequently about the status of vaccine and appointment availability. 

We sincerely apologize to our members who have encountered long wait times when calling for a vaccination appointment and understand the frustration this causes.  We are grateful for everyone’s patience and are taking action to alleviate the situation as we work on more ways to increase access to vaccinations as supply allows:

•            We have increased staff in our call center, which already operates 24 hours a day.

•            To avoid long hold times and to direct attention to our members’ other medical care needs, we are advising callers up front if there are no available appointments.

•            By next week we will add an option to allow eligible members to a self-schedule a vaccination appointment, based on vaccine supplies. 

•            We are reaching out to vaccination-eligible members with more information on what to expect, and will update the kp.org/covidvaccine website as new information becomes available.

•            We are working with the state and counties to expand vaccine locations and reach those most vulnerable in our communities. 

In addition to the expanded populations outlined by yesterday’s State guidance, we are continuing to vaccinate those in Phase 1A, which includes health care workers. As supplies increase, we will vaccinate more people.  

At the same time, the prevalence of COVID-19 remains high in our communities and it is essential that everyone continue to protect themselves and others by using masks, hand washing, avoiding gatherings, and social distancing.