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COVID-19 Vaccination Site Calls Chic-Fil-A Manager For Help After Traffic Backs Up

February 2, 2021

Hospitals in South Carolina launched a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site to reach more residents, but a glitch in the computer system caused a major traffic backup.

So, they had to call in a professional for help: a Chick-fil-A manager.

Local hospitals in Mount Pleasant opened the clinic on January 22 for residents eligible to receive the first shots of Covid-19 vaccine. But shortly after the drive-thru opened, the computer system handling registrations went down, causing hundreds of people to wait in heavy traffic.

That's when Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie called Jerry Walkowiak, the manager of a nearby Chick-fil-A.

"Chic Fil A manager Jerry Walkowiak donating his professional drive thru experience to help our vaccination program in Mt Pleasant today. When you need help, call the pros," Mayor Haynie wrote on Twitter.

Chic Fil A manager Jerry Walkowiak donating his professional drive thru experience to help our vaccination program in Mt Pleasant today. When you need help, call the pros. pic.twitter.com/63RvcVR8KJ

— Will Haynie (@willhaynie) January 22, 2021

"At Chick-Fil-A, we're about being the most caring company in the world and when Mayor Haynie asked us to come over, we took a look at what was their drive-thru system. We saw a little hiccup in their drive-thru system and we needed some more people, so we gathered some of the wonderful rotary volunteers and went down there and just was able to expedite the registration part," Walkowiak said.

Walkowiak transformed the traffic jam into a smooth operation, reducing the hours-long wait to just 15 minutes.