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More than 49,000 people managed to enroll on Harris County’s new COVID-19 vaccination waiting list on Tuesday, despite technical issues that reduced some access to the county’s website.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office said 49,287 people were able to register by 4:30 p.m.
Health officials said there had been “an overwhelming amount of people” trying to use the website at ReadyHarris.org.
“It’s low. It’s been down. We’ve had it crash a few times,” said Martha Marquez, spokesperson for Harris County Public Health, earlier Tuesday. “I know as we speak, they are working on it. “
The website launched on Tuesday afternoon but quickly ran into problems. The page that describes the new program is available, but when users join the waiting list, some receive a message “The site is under maintenance“message. A telephone line for the program, (832) 927-8787, is also available. It often presents a busy tone when dialed.
The waitlist, a new approach announced on Monday, aims to ease the burden on residents by having them register once for the vaccine, instead of scrambling to register every time the agency announces the availability of a vaccine. ‘a new appointment. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said access to the vaccine shouldn’t depend on computer savvy.
The system is supposed to prioritize people based on the phase of the distribution plan of the state they belong to and their age. It will randomize the pool and select people for the appointment windows. These people would have 48 hours to claim their seats.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience,” the health agency wrote on Twitter.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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