RIDOH’s Dr. Chan answers questions regarding state’s vaccination efforts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – A community forum was held virtually on Friday to answer the most pressing questions from Rhode Islanders on all things COVID-19.

The forum was led by Dr. Philip Chan from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and Rep. Deb Ruggiero (D-District 74) on Zoom.

“Be patient. I know some of this has been frustrating,” said Dr. Chan, who outlined the timeline of vaccinations and where people might be able to get them.

With the news that Johnson & Johnson could have a single-dose vaccine ready for distribution in the coming weeks, Dr. Chan said that could move the state’s timeline up, and would be overall good news in the fight against coronavirus.

“This has been a little bit logistically challenging and it’s going to change again next week potentially, and certainly in the near future as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine comes online,” Dr. Chan explained. “We expect that to be approved too. So, in general, great news, but the timeline I’m about to go over may change.”

At the current rate, Rhode Island is receiving enough vaccine doses to offer a shot to everyone by June.

“Heidi from Jamestown wants to know,” Rep. Ruggiero asked, “will vaccination sites be set up in each local community?”

“At the moment,” Dr. Chan responded, “we do have some of what we called PODS – points of distribution. They’re essentially mass vaccination sites where people can go in where we are referring people.”

Dr. Chan said RIDOH is working on setting up more vaccination sites beyond the five regional sites they have open now. He anticipates everyone will eventually have a site nearby to them, as RIDOH is exploring using pharmacies and community centers.

Right now, the state is gearing up to vaccinate people over the age of 75. A limited number of people in that age group will be vaccinated as soon as this weekend, with the general population receiving their shots in the coming weeks.

Then comes Phase 2, where people over the age of 65 will start to be vaccinated.

In Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing, it was stated that that population would start getting shot in mid-February, but Dr. Chan said Friday it may be more like late February with the state’s current limited supply.

When it comes to signing up for a vaccine, Dr. Chan said RIDOH is working on a system and is learning from the mistakes of other states. In Massachusetts, the state opened a portal where residents can begin signing up for appointments, but many are frustrated with the system.

“We’ve noticed from other state experiences, you know, if this isn’t done right what happens is it’s like you’re trying to buy that concert ticket and it’s sold out in 30 seconds and you can’t get in. We do want to ensure people that there will be a sign-up system that people will be able to register and we will get them.”