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The Forsyth County Department of Public Health began vaccinating seniors age 75 and older Wednesday, who make up Group 1 of Phase 1b of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

More than 400 vaccination appointments have been booked for today, and the appointments are running smoothly. Many more have been booked for other days. Public Health will be vaccinating this group for many weeks to come, but the current vaccine supply is limited and the department won’t be operating on a larger scale until more vaccine is available next month.

The vaccination appointment line is still experiencing extremely high call volumes with more than 700 callers on the line at once Tuesday evening. This is resulting in extremely long wait times and those who are on hold when the line closes at 6:30 p.m. have to call back. The high call volumes are also causing technical issues that the county is working hard to rectify.

Public Health officials are urging patience, as it will take weeks to get everyone in this group scheduled for an appointment. Those who do not want to experience these wait times are encouraged to call back at a later date.

The vaccine appointment line is 336-703-2081 and is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. and Sat. and Sun. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Only those in Group 1 of Phase 1b or in Phase 1a should call at this time, so as not to unnecessarily tie up the phone lines. It’s important for individuals to attend their appointment or cancel at least two hours in advance.