Brtistol town officials are hitting the phones this week after receiving word that their anticipated allotment of COVID-19 vaccine for this Saturday has been more than doubled. According to Mary Ann Quinn, Bristol’s senior services director, they now have 260 people registered for the clinic scheduled for this Saturday, and they are calling down the list, while constantly revisiting numbers of older seniors who have not yet picked up the phone. If you’re over 75, your call is coming soon — so don’t ignore that ringing phone.

In addition to this week’s clinic there is one scheduled for March 6 and another tentatively scheduled for March 13, but Ms. Quinn anticipates that, at this rate, they will be able to schedule all in Bristol over the age of 75 who have not yet received their first dose, by the March 6 date.

“It was great to be a part of it, seeing all the older seniors come through,” said Ms. Quinn of last Saturday’s clinic. “The highlight was when Genevieve Marszalek came in. She’s 106. It was wonderful to see her.”

This last week saw the long-awaited expansion of distribution to those 65 to 74 years old, though the next day the state was forced to cancel a slew of appointments after bad weather delayed the receipt of more than 12,000 vaccines to Rhode Island (and about 20 other states.)

On Tuesday, the Rhode Island Health Department announced that they are considering opening two more mass vaccination sites, in addition to the ones at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence and Sockanosset Cross Road in Cranston — one in the north part of the state and the other in the south, possibly in the East Bay. Reflecting the ever-changing information as supplies increase, other sources suggested the state may launch as many as many as five mass clinics, with one located in the East Bay, though at press time, that was not confirmed.

State, pharmacies taking over

At this time, the town anticipates stepping back from the business of vaccinations, with this next cohort. “Anything can change,” said Ms. Quinn, “But at the moment we are not doing a 65 to 75 waitlist. We are directing people to the state, CVS, or Walgreens.”

Supply remains an issue, so appointments remain limited. While appointments may also be posted throughout the week as they become available, for example in the case of cancellations or unexpected additional supply, the health department announced yesterday that they will release the bulk of the appointments available at two times: beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Eligible Rhode Islanders can visit www.VaccinateRI.org to make an appointment. People who cannot register online can get help by calling the automated line at 844/930-1779. Note that the state has been cracking down on those who falsely state their eligibility and cancelling those appointments; 50 such appointments were canceled on Tuesday.