GREEN BAY, Wis (NBC 26) -- As Wisconsin expands vaccine eligibility to people over the age of 65, some in that group are struggling to figure out how to get in line for the shot.
"There is a lot of confusion out there. A lot of people are really anxious," says Lisa Lamkins the Advocacy Director at AARP Wisconsin.
Lamkins says those eligible for a shot should try to navigate their primary care physician's website, to set up an appointment. She adds that folks can also reach out to their county's public health department to find resources to do so.
"They are kind of hooking people up with places that are giving vaccines," says Lamkins.
But the process right now for the newest demographic to begin getting vaccinated is slow going. The state of Wisconsin has 700-thousand people over the age of 65 and currently the state receives about 70-thousand doses of the vaccine a week.
"We're really dependent on how much vaccine inventory we get every week. And that allows us to determine how many appointments we can open up every week," says Sharla Baenen the Chief Operating Officer at Bellin Health.
Baenen says people signing up for a vaccination today, could be waiting a month to get the shot. But that could change if more vaccine is made available.
"I think we can count on, some weeks out from now, getting a bit more of an allocation on a weekly basis."
And at Prevea Health the situation is similar, there is not enough vaccine currently to keep up with the demand. Doctor Ashok Rai says setting up appointments online or by phone, could still leave many waiting for weeks before they can get a shot.
"I think people just need to be patient because it's not a state of Wisconsin issue, it's not the vaccinations, it's the flow of vaccine into the state," says Dr. Rai.
For more information about signing up for a COVID-19 vaccination at Prevea Health and Bellin Health, just click on the links. AARP has also created an online tool, to find their resources about the COVID-19 vaccinations click here.
