MEMPHIS, Tenn. — People waiting in line at a Memphis COVID-19 vaccination site Tuesday night say they were turned away because they ran out of the vaccine.
Our cameras captured the long lines of people waiting in their vehicles at the Pipkin Center.
We are told some people were sent home after waiting for hours.
The health department responded in a statement, saying: “The Shelby County Health Department is committed to vaccinating as many persons as possible as quickly as possible. Today more people than expected presented at the Pipkin Building to receive vaccine. This resulted in an increase in the number of vaccines delivered. However, there was also an unexpected increase in wait times.
“Additional staff will be scheduled to address the issue,” the department said.
Right now, the supply of vaccines is limited and there is a huge demand.
Earlier Tuesday, the Memphis Shelby County Health Department told us more doses were on the way.
“Based on conversations we had with the Tennessee Department of Health this past weekend we anticipate an additional 3,000 doses being available to Shelby County next week,” said Dr. Alisa Haushalter.
The Health Department also said it is working on plans to open a new vaccination site in Whitehaven as soon as next week.
