Cars started to line up outside the white tents that lined the Northwest Gold Lot at SUNY Albany on Friday, a half hour before the state-run COVID-19 vaccine site officially opened.

SUNY Albany has now become almost a hub for COVID-19 related services, with a state run testing site on one side and now a vaccination site on the other.

This site will now be the fifth state operated vaccination site to open in New York and the second state-run facility to open up outside of New York City and Westchester.

Things seemed to be running pretty smoothly, according to John Vecchione, one of the first people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, until he tried to schedule an appointment for his second dose.

“Total disaster,” Vecchione emphasized. “The entire website is down, the phone lines are down, they could not schedule you for a second shot. They took your name and everything else on a piece of paper and supposedly they’re going to call you.”

The State Department of Health confirmed that the iPads at UAlbany were down for a short time, leaving them unable to schedule a second appointment, but assured that they would be calling to follow up with those who had to leave their contact information.

People must schedule their second appointment at their first appointment. They cannot schedule their second appointment online.

Appointments for this SUNY site filled up quickly, and now many people are learning there are no appointments available until March or later. 

“I got the first day, the thing was totally open,” Vecchione explained. “Went back in for my wife the next day, she is at March 20. She wasn’t happy about that. I went back in an hour later, it was up to June 19. Then the website shut down.”

There are now more than 7 million New Yorkers eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes healthcare workers, first responders, those 65 and older, those who are immunocompromised, teachers and others.

However, the state is only receiving about 300,000 doses per week from the federal government.

Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Major General Patrick Murphy is urging people to keep checking back to see if more appointments become available throughout the week.

“Just because you couldn’t get the reservation you wanted now, continue to pursue what you’re looking for,” Murphy said.

Appointments can be made here at the state’s website, where you must first check your eligibility.

You can also call the COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline, 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4827) to check eligibility and schedule a vaccination appointment. 

The SUNY Albany site will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Appointments are limited due to the limited supply of vaccines.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro sayid while he doesn’t necessarily believe the state is holding back dosages, he is urging for more transparency and local government input in the process.

“There needs to be just a clearer and consistent process,” Molinaro said. “We need to know every week the actual number. We shouldn’t be scheduling appointments that we can’t necessarily meet. It creates a lack of confidence.”

State officials said that they should be administering a few hundred vaccinations at the SUNY Albany site daily. It will all depend on how many doses are available.