Sanitizing her corded desk phone after four hours of scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments, Virginia Faulkner-Monks said she felt a bit like St. Nick.
âIt feels kind of like youâre Santa,â she said. âYouâre really making somebodyâs day whoâs been very anxious.â
Faulkner-Monks, 27, was one of the volunteers answering phones and making calls Monday at the Teton County Health Departmentâs vaccine call center. The center answers peopleâs questions about getting a vaccine, registers eligible Teton County residents for shots and, when itâs their turn, calls to schedule appointments. Itâs intended for people in the age-based vaccine priority groups the countyâs working through now. Others in employment-based subgroups like teachers and public transit employees will be vaccinated later in Phase 1b and register to receive the vaccine through their employers. Mary Grossman, the call centerâs founding employee, described its work as a âwartime effort.â