DOVER, Del. - The Delaware Division of Public Health has announced that it will be closing its COVID-19 call center and vaccine call center due to a low volume of calls.
The division says that the last day the call centers will be open is Jan 31., but Delawareans can still access critical COVID-19 information at de.gov/coronavirus, and questions can be submitted via the contact form at coronavirus.delaware.gov/contact. General questions about COVID-19 will still be answered by calling 2-1-1 or by emailing DPHCall@delaware.gov, or Vaccine@delaware.gov for vaccine-specific questions.
“The COVID-19 call center has provided an invaluable service to Delawareans throughout the pandemic who had so many questions about this new disease,” said Interim Division of Public Health Director Dr. Rick Hong. “We started with multiple call center operators, even having to open a separate vaccine call center when the vaccine program rolled out. However, a significantly lower call volume concerning COVID-19 as the pandemic wanes and evolves is allowing us to re-allocate personnel to other critical health work."
Hong continued to say that most people are accessing information about the virus through the web, however, the division will continue to answer COVID-19 related questions through its email resource boxes, which will continue to be monitored. The division will also continue to communicate COVID-19 information to Delawareans using media and community partners, to encourage them to practice health safety by getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu, staying home when sick, and wearing a mask in public areas if they feel sick and must go out.
The division says that the center was launched in March 2020 under the leadership of former director Karyl Rattay, stemming from the amount of calls that the main DPH help line was getting about the subject. They say the second call center was opened on Dec. 19, 2020, to field questions about COVID-19 vaccines.
