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PARKERSBURG -- The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department is accepting calls for vaccination appointments at local numbers again, while still drawing from the statewide scheduling system.
The department -- which serves Wood, Wirt, Calhoun, Pleasants, Ritchie and Roane counties -- stopped taking appointments in late January when West Virginia's Everbridge scheduling portal went online.
But when local representatives contact people who have signed up via that method, they sometimes find they've already been vaccinated elsewhere, said Dr. Charles Whitaker III, medical officer for the MOVHD. In other cases, the caller is unable to connect with the individual.
"When we try to make calls during the day, many aren't picked up," Whitaker said.
This might be because some people don't have their cell phones with them while they work, he said.
Sometimes Health Department representatives will call from an agency or personal cell phone, especially when trying to reach people after regular work hours, Whitaker said. But people wary of scam calls and telemarketing might not answer a number they don't recognize.
On Tuesday, the MOVHD posted that the Roane County Vaccination Coalition had openings for people 50 and older to receive the vaccine and instructed folks to call 304-927-6889, even if they were already registered on the state list.
On Wednesday, they said people 50 and older, essential workers and those with underlying health conditions could call 304-420-1449 and leave their name, date of birth and phone number in order to be called back for an appointment.
Later in the day, they posted that people who live in Ohio but work in West Virginia at jobs that are classified as essential can also be vaccinated at local clinics. People in that situation can call the local number to register, but must provide proof of employment, either via email to the person setting the appointment or at the clinic, the post said.
Gov. Jim Justice has been encouraging pre-registration for vaccines in his online coronavirus briefings. A release from the governor's office on Wednesday identified counties where "increased emphasis on pre-registration is needed," including Calhoun, Gilmer, Jackson, Ritchie and Wood.
State officials said Wednesday there are nearly 48,000 West Virginians age 65 and older who are registered but have not yet been vaccinated. They encouraged people in that age group who have been registered for more than three weeks but haven't gotten an appointment to call the state vaccine information line at 1-833-734-0965.
Across the Ohio River in Marietta, Rite Aid at 301 Greene St. received doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week but hasn't seen as much interest as they expected, said Glenn Norosky, pharmacy manager.
They received 100 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which requires one shot instead of two, earlier this month and went through that in four days, Norosky said. While some people might prefer the single dose, he advised against waiting for one in particular
"It's more important to get started," Norosky said.
Ohio is expanding vaccine eligibility today to people age 40 and older.
"That's going to open up a lot more opportunities," Norosky said.
People can register for an appointment online at riteaid.com.
"It will schedule your second dose as well," Norosky said.
West Virginia residents can also sign up, he said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.