[ad_1]
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif .– It was another frustrating day for residents hoping to secure an appointment at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic run by Riverside County.
Residents were allowed to register at noon Thursday to receive one of 3,900 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered at a series of clinics run by the county, but all appointments were quickly made.
During the registration process, the county’s website crashed several times due to the number of people trying to make appointments. Patch heard from dozens of disappointed community members who tried for hours to log into the county site, only to learn that all appointments were full.
“It gets so frustrating, when there are appointments available. You really only have one chance – if you don’t do that first try, by the time you come back and fill out the registration form again. , all the other sites filled up, ”wrote one Patch reader.
Eager residents who tried to secure dates last week faced the same setbacks: a down website and ultimately no slots available.
Jose Arballo, spokesperson for Riverside University Health System-Public Health, said there was a “frenzy” to get an appointment.
The public outcry prompted the county to issue a statement Thursday night announcing a change to its dating website.
“Residents are understandably frustrated that the appointment website didn’t work today,” said Juan C. Perez, acting county general manager. “While we worked with our supplier to make sure it would be up and running today, unfortunately it wasn’t. Frankly, this is unacceptable. We apologize for this unfortunate situation and will be directing residents to a new website soon.
A new link will be announced soon to allow residents to register for COVID-19 vaccinations. When appointments are open, the new county site will continue to link to the state’s vaccine registration portal. If all appointments are booked, users will not be able to schedule a time.
Although the nomination process may be more fluid, vaccine availability will still be limited in the short term.
Since the vaccine distribution began last month, Riverside County has received a total of 157,775 doses, most of which went to private providers. According to the California Department of Public Health, 3,989,850 doses of the vaccine have been shipped to counties and state health system entities since distribution began.
Local suppliers order the vaccine through the state, which in turn orders doses from the federal government, according to the California Department of Public Health.
The federal government then clears the order and submits the request to the manufacturer. The manufacturer or central distributor ships the vaccine directly to the local supplier in California. It may take a week or more from when doses are assigned by the federal government. and when they arrive at public health units or providers and are ready for administration, ”according to the state agency.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order that created a COVID-19 response coordinator, whose job it is to manage efforts to produce and distribute vaccines and medical supplies. The president also invoked the Defense Production Act to increase the supply of all the materials needed to arm the vaccines.
Arballo estimates it will be several weeks before supplies meet needs in Riverside County.
“We’re happy to see vaccines being in demand,” Arballo said, but he sympathized with the people who can’t get appointments now. “I don’t blame them for being frustrated.”
Riverside County received a total of 26,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine this week. Most of the lot was destined for private entities across the county. Check out the full list of entities here. (Scroll down to the dashboard to see the list on the right side.)
“People can also get the vaccine through vendors other than the county,” Arballo said.
As new suppliers join them and more vaccines are received in the county, new clinics will open, but the “frenzy” will likely continue in the short term, Arballo said.
Upcoming clinics will welcome residents of Phase IA of the state’s vaccine distribution plan, including healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Residents of level 1 of phase IB will also be allowed to be vaccinated, which includes people aged 65 and over and certain essential workers, such as those in education, childcare, services emergency and food and agriculture. See the full list here.
Inoculation is free at clinics run by the county, but people will be asked to provide information about medical insurance, although insurance is not required. People planning to be vaccinated should register in advance and bring the required documents to prove their eligibility.
For people who have already received a first dose of the vaccine and are concerned about whether they will receive the required booster, Arballo said there is currently no priority given to these people over all other eligible people. to receive the vaccine.
“I hope by then we will have more appointments available,” he said.
For the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the interval is 21 days between the first and second dose, according to the Food and Drug Administration. For the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the interval is 28 days between the first and second dose, the agency reports.
During the vaccine trial period, over 90 percent of participants received their boosters within the recommended period.
“Participants who did not receive two doses of the vaccine three or four weeks apart were generally followed for only a short time, so we cannot conclude anything definitive about the depth or duration of the vaccine. protection after a single dose of vaccine from single dose percentages reported by companies, ”the FDA reported.
It’s not reassuring, but supervisor Karen Spiegel said Wednesday: “The county is distributing the vaccine as soon as we get it.”
[ad_2]
Source link