Health Department Asks for Help in Making More Vaccine Appointments Available

As eligibility has expanded and people are shopping around to find the soonest vaccine appointment, the Health Department is asking the public take one extra step by cancelling unneeded spots so they can be opened to others.

Anyone with an appointment scheduled at the Department’s vaccine site at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum can call 260-449-7722 and leave a voicemail with their full name, date of birth, phone number, and the date and time of the appointment they need to cancel.

“We recognize many folks are looking to get vaccinated as soon as possible, so they may schedule an appointment to hold a spot but are then able to get into another site faster,” said Mindy Waldron, department administrator. “We’ve heard that some just don’t know how to cancel a previously made appointment, so we want to make it as easy as possible for them to make a quick call so we can open that spot up for someone else.”

As efforts continue to increase vaccination availability to more Allen County residents, the Department has seen an increase in clients not showing up for their scheduled appointments in recent weeks. While this does not result in wasted vaccine, it does tie up dozens of appointments on a daily basis that could have otherwise been made available to others wanting to be vaccinated.

Department staff are also able to assist with cancelling appointments made at other sites through the state’s Zotec registration system at ourshot.in.gov at the same number, or the public can call 211 for assistance.