ESCANABA — Those individuals age 65 and older who are already on a waitlist for COVID-19 vaccinations with Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties will have to wait a little longer. The health department announced Friday it is temporarily pausing the waitlist due to a lack of vaccine supply.

There are currently more than 4,000 Delta and Menominee County residents in priority group 1B — which consists of residents age 65 and above — on the department’s waitlist. Individuals on the waitlist will be contacted to schedule an appointment as vaccine becomes available and additional clinics are scheduled.

PHDM is also working to return more than 1,000 voicemails from residents seeking an appointment. Those individuals who called and left a message requesting to be placed on the waitlist on or before Friday, Jan. 29 will be contacted and added to the waitlist.

Residents of both Delta and Menominee Counties will have the ability to schedule their own COVID-19 vaccination appointment online once all individuals on the waitlist have had an opportunity to schedule their vaccinations. A link to online scheduling will be posted on PHDM’s website, www.phdm.org, and on its Facebook page once the online scheduling option becomes available.

A phone number will also be provided when online appointments open for individuals who are unable to schedule online and need assistance to make an appointment. An announcement will be shared on PHDM’s website, Facebook page, and with local media outlets once online and phone appointments become available.

At this time, due to extremely limited vaccine supply, only individuals in priority group 1B, subgroups A and B. This includes those who are age 65 and above are eligible to receive the vaccination and certain frontline workers, such as teachers, that have been specifically identified by the state.

PHDM says it is encouraged by the number of individuals who want to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, and with the help of community partners like OSF St. Francis Hospital and Bay College it will continue to work to provide the vaccine as quickly as possible to all eligible and interested residents of Delta and Menominee counties.

The health department also assures residents that have already been placed on the waitlist that they will be notified when vaccine appointments become available. They do not need to call PHDM, but because vaccine demand far exceeds supply, it may be several weeks before they are offered an appointment.

The health department also stated it its release that it would also like to thank 211 for its partnership in helping county residents be placed on the waitlist.