COLUMBIA, S.C. — After bad weather forced Prisma Health to temporarily close a Midlands vaccination site, many are hoping they'll get their shot on the second try.
"It’s just been very frustrating," said Lexington resident Susan Hooper.
She drove 45 minutes from to Gamecock Park Saturday morning for her COVID-19 vaccine appointment. But when she got there, she said they turned her away because the site was closing due to the rain.
"I was very frustrated by it. It was raining. They were all working under tents. It wasn’t snowing, it wasn’t freezing rain or a blizzard or anything like that. I was just really upset about it," said Hooper.
She added that after she was turned away, she was told conflicting information about when to come back to try again, which left her confused.
"About two hours later I got a call from Prisma Health, it was a recorded call, telling me I could come any day this week without an appointment," explained Hooper.
Then, the hospital announced Gamecock Park would be closed again on Monday due to rain.
Everyone that had Monday appointments was instructed to go to the Prisma Health Baptist Hospital for their shot instead.
"I have six grandchildren I can’t see, and this is the first step toward getting back to some kind of normal life. But they’re just making it so hard," Hooper said.
She's going to try to get her shot again on Tuesday.
Prisma Health told News19 they did attempt to let as many people know about the changes. They added that the heavy rain posed logistical issues for their outdoor vaccination site, which forced them to temporarily close it.
They say they’re working now to figure out ways to make the wet field useable after such heavy rainfall.
Dr. Saria Saccocio, co-chair of the Prisma Health Vaccine Task Force, said, “This pandemic has challenged everyone to be ready to adjust to a changing environment almost every moment, hour and day. The Prisma Health team has been doing that from day one, and we are so proud of every one of them."
The hospital announced Monday evening that Gamecock Park will reopen Tuesday. So, if someone had an appointment there over the weekend but it got canceled, they should be able to get their shot this week.
Prisma Health also said they send patients important updates via automated phone calls. So, if someone has a scheduled appointment and gets a call from a random number, it may be Prisma Health calling with new information.