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New York state canceled 20,000 appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday after a scheduling link was prematurely disclosed to the general public.
State officials said the reservations were for the state-run site of Stony Brook Teaching Hospital on Long Island. The website was only supposed to go live on Friday, according to Melisa DeRosa, a top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“The assumption is either that it was hacked or there was someone who leaked the link,” DeRosa told reporters in a briefing Friday morning.
A lawyer for the state’s Office of Computer Services said clinics in Binghamton, Buffalo, Plattsburgh, Potsdam and Utica were also affected, leading to cancellations. A spokesperson for the health department said the state had suspended appointments of 2,400 more people at these sites. The incident was referred to the New York State Inspector General for investigation.
“Two appointments at Stony Brook for my older parents have been canceled,” one person tweeted Thursday night. “Really continue to monitor our vulnerable seniors, it seems. Path to follow.”
Two Stony Brook appointments for my older parents have been canceled. Really continuing to monitor our vulnerable seniors, it seems 😞. Path to follow. Make seniors a PRIORITY and DO. THIS. RIGHT.
– Tara P (@TaraPrimis) January 15, 2021
Asked about the matter during the briefing, Governor Andrew Cuomo responded by saying, “This isn’t the first time this has happened, is it? There have been similar cases, ”a reference to the crowds that converged at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park on Thursday. In this case, a message spread on social media that the city was administering additional vaccines on a first come, first served basis. A spokesperson for Stony Brook University Hospital referred our questions to the New York State Department of Health.
It’s such a mess. Some of my family and coworkers made baits when thousands of people opened for Stony Brook yesterday and today they received emails stating it was not a valid vaccination site and their baits are all canceled.
– Kristen Picone (@ Kpteach5) January 15, 2021
“[The state] has sole responsibility and authority to determine vaccine eligibility … and when on-site appointments will be available at the state site, ”said spokesperson for Stony Brook.
New Yorkers have also criticized the state’s vaccination website for being confusing and glitchy.
DeRosa said the increased eligibility in recent days has caused a massive increase in web traffic, “causing servers to go down.”
“We understand the frustration if someone gets the link without knowing there was some underhand intent behind the way it came out,” she says. “However, there are seven million people fighting over 250,000 shots, and the system has to be fair.”
This story has been updated with additional data from New York State.
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