Despite the fact that it didn’t take long to fill 200 available COVID-19 vaccine appointment slots — announced yesterday (March 9) — Lakewood officials are hoping residents stay optimistic about getting vaccinated.

“It’s just we’ve never done this before, so the registration process has been intense,” Lakewood Department of Human Services Director Toni Gelsomino said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to fill 200 spots.”

The good news is the partnership among Lakewood, Lakewood City Schools and Neighborhood Family Practice — which joined together to stage the upcoming vaccination clinic Saturday (March 13) at the Garfield Middle School gymnasium — now have a system in place for when more vaccines become available.

“Neighborhood Family Practice has a long history of service to those living in the diverse communities in and around the near west side of Cleveland, and has been at the forefront of providing COVID-19 testing and vaccines,” Neighborhood Family Practice President and CEO Jean Polster said in a press release.

“We’re grateful to be able to provide this important vaccination public service to our community.”

Read the full article from Cleveland.com here.