||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |||
UPDATE: 7 P.M.
When COVID vaccine registration opened at 5pm on Wednesday the 10th, many hundreds of islanders logged on and searched by their zip code for available clinics – just as they were advised to do in our instructional video. Unfortunately, the zip code search feature was not working.
While most applicants were able to locate the island clinics by scrolling down or searching by island name, we extend our sincere apologies to those who were not. Clearly the registration process remains frustrating. We will be working closely with the registration technology team at the WA State Department of Health to ensure future roll-outs are smoother.
Almost 2,000 islanders were able to secure appointments. In order to sign up, or to monitor for future registration windows, please visit: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info
UPDATE: 6:15 p.m.
Reservation slots on San Juan are now closed. There is space on Orcas and Lopez.
As of 5:47PM on 2/15, there are still slots available at the vaccine clinics on each island.
We are working with State DOH to understand why the zip code feature was not functioning. For those who have not scheduled an appointment yet, please scroll down through all clinics, or search by “Orcas” “Lopez” or “San Juan”
Thanks islanders. We know this is frustrating.
You bet it’s frustrating. Did anybody think about beta testing the app before it went live??!!!
This is called incompetence.
Spent over 1hr trying to sign up ?
It would be so simple to test the system before the information is put out there ?
Really frustrating
My heart goes out to older residents who may not have the computer skills to figure out the DOH system isn’t working properly.. I’m thinking of my 93 year old dad. Using two fingers to enter data into fields with failing vision. It’s inhumane to force islanders to compete with one another for vaccines. Individuals who are computer literate have a distinct advantage over those who are not. Getting an appointment is based on keyboarding speed, skill and the ability to troubleshoot the state’s system like an IT expert, Not age or health concerns. We are reminded not to travel, yet we must travel if we want a vaccine. They are unattainable on island. I tried to secure an appointment for 45 minutes by following the instructions in the video. So I understand Michael’s frustration. How can something this important be repeatedly bungled by the state and counties?
Michael, I disagree – this is called “overwhelmed”. Sure, basics say, test at least the major use cases before pushing out, but in absence of time/staff/guidance, of course you take the “Microsoft” approach, beta test it on the customers. We have a fantastic PH staff in this county, but they have been handed a task that should have been worked out months ago, had there been non-criminal competent adults in charge in DC. There were not, more’s the shame.
Did you eventually get registered?
More important, where did you find those fancy designs? And how do you post one?
Thanx
As I said in an earlier comment a few days ago, PrepMod is unduly complex and now clearly buggy software, which often accompanies complexity. What we had to use on January 29 was much simpler and better focused on the task at hand. There were no complaints that I heard about its use, only regrets that there were too few shots available for the thousands of eligible islanders. That was not the case this time around.
The County should set up a waiting list for all those of us who could not get into the system because of this lapse. It’s high time.
From William: “Michael, I disagree – this is called “overwhelmed”. Sure, basics say, test at least the major use cases before pushing out, but in absence of time/staff/guidance, of course you take the “Microsoft” approach, beta test it on the customers.
“Overwhelmed” kills people needlessly. So does “incompetence”.
Let’s take a look at what is happening across the nation as seniors attempt to secure a vaccination appointment.
From City and State NY: “Miriam Grossman, a Connecticut resident who has been trying to sign up her father – who is over 75 years old and lives in Queens – for a vaccine appointment, estimated that she spent about four hours on Sunday and Monday trying to secure a slot. The Health + Hospitals vaccine scheduler would show her no available appointments and then direct her to find COVID-19 testing availability, which she wasn’t looking for. After filling out the many fields of questions that the city’s vaccine hub asked her, Grossman finished the long process only to find no appointments available.”
From the Tri City Herald: “Our problem as seniors is that the system for getting the COVID-19 vaccine wasn’t designed with seniors in mind, “said Koenig in an announcement of the program.” From Bob Koenig, Richland, WA Senior Center.
From the NY Post: “My nonna works a computer and Facebook and couldn’t work [the city] site,” Alaimo said, noting that her grandparents thought the Big Apple’s system to sign up for a shot involved “too many steps” and was “unclear.”
In other words, many Americans are frustrated with buggy software and misleading instructions from health departments. Repeated good faith attempts to schedule a vaccine, only to receive a plethora of “we can’t help you messages” creates anger among the people that the state and counties are attempting to serve. Never mind the fact that many seniors lack access to a good computer or smart phone. Or, they don’t have the training to use complicated online registration systems that repeatedly boot users out of the system and force them to re-enter their information over and over again.
A spoilt child in the White House didn’t design state vaccine registration programs. Computer programmers from across the nation designed them, without considering the technical skill set required to secure an appointment. The result? Older, poorer residents who do not own a computer or smart phone are unable to make an appointment. And, these are the people that are most likely to die from COVID-19. Let’s hope they can find a kind neighbor or adult child who will help them navigate the registration system.
Consequently, younger, technology savvy individuals will secure appointments. Every state has it’s own program. And, just about every state is reporting mass frustration with the existing online registration systems.
Hence, according to news reports, the entire nation is overwhelmed. That said, COVID variants are multiplying like rabbits and many people who should be vaccinated by now will be in danger of contracting the virus before they complete the vaccine process. Consequently, a number of seniors with underlying medical conditions will suffer needlessly and die.
At least Microsoft provides customers with the right to opt in before receiving beta updates.
Whatever happened to Amazon’s offer to help? Surely they have a lot of experience in supply chain management, on-line ordering, and order fulfillment.