By Karin Price Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After a delay of about a week, New Jersey’s vaccine hotline can be used to make COVID vaccine appointments, Department of Health commissioner Judy Persichilli said at the governor’s Monday coronavirus briefing.

More than 600 people have gotten appointments through the hotline, she said.

Over the weekend, the call center took more than 16,000 calls, she said. It registered 514 people with the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System (NJVSS) and made appointments for 286 people.

“They started making first dose appointments last Wednesday,” Persichilli said, noting she wasn’t sure if second dose appointments were being made.

The move comes after complaints from residents who said they have been unable to book a vaccine appointment online, and by others who said they are not computer-savvy enough to compete with more digitally-adept people who are able to maneuver through the online system faster to secure appointments before they are snapped up.

The call center, which is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, is (855) 568-0545.

The hotline started taking calls in January and was able to give general information and help people register for the New Jersey Vaccine Scheduling System (NJVSS).