Dozens line up for in-person help to schedule vaccine appointment in Thermal

On Saturday the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation hosted an in-person sign-up event for vaccination appointments. Until this point, we haven't seen too much in-person help other than people being asked to sign up for an appointment online.

Dozens of people showed up to the event at Desert Mirage High School in Thermal, which was held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, some people started lining up as early as 6 a.m., according to an organizer.

"We’re doing in-person registration for a vaccination event that’s going to be held on Thursday," Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Chief Community Engagement Officer, Alejandro Espinoza said.

Most people showed up on Saturday bringing their documentation. They had to fall within the eligible tiers to get vaccinated, or Espinoza said they would likely be turned away.

"This is my first time coming here to get it," said Maria Cacueta Baec.

"They ask if you have a medical condition or the requirements that they're asking," Norma Medina said in a statement translated by News Channel 3 from Spanish.

At one station, people were registering their information. After, they waited in line again to schedule the appointment at another booth.

"It’s going to be primarily Pfizer, that is the only one we’re having and we’re going to have 1,100 doses that are being sponsored by Rite Aid pharmacy and also through the office of Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz," said Espinoza.

Espinoza said the reason that an event solely to make appointments was organized is because they were finding that residents were having difficulty scheduling their own appointments.

"Some of the appointments, when those links were released, they were gone within an hour, an hour and a half and a lot of our community members that were at work or are not really tech savvy did not really have the opportunity to register online," said Espinoza.

Now with more open tiers that provide eligibility to people, Espinoza said they expected to have 400-500 people register on Saturday alone.

"For the individuals that have some kind of underlying health condition, we were instructed by the department of public health to not ask for any kind of documentation for that. We’re pretty much taking their word that they are an individual with an underlying health condition," said Espinoza.

Many people jumped at the opportunity to finally get in line for their shots.

"The opportunity presented itself to get a vaccine and you have to take advantage of it," said Thermal resident, Antonio De La Rosa in a statement translated by News Channel 3 from Spanish.

"It's important because we already suffered a close loss and we don't want to lose anyone else," North Shore resident, Raquel Chavez said in a statement translated by News Channel 3 from Spanish.

A similar event is scheduled on Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the same location. Appointments will be first come first served.