Try, Try Again: DC Vaccination Website Works After Morning Tech Problem

The DC Department of Health made 3,500 appointments for the COVID-19 vaccination available at 9 a.m. on Saturday, but the website crashed shortly after they were supposed to be available.

The technical issues follow two straight days of trouble, which has led residents to struggle to register for coronavirus vaccination appointments online.

District residents aged 18 to 64 with qualifying health conditions and living within zip codes of 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20001, 20019, 20020, 20032 and 20593 are eligible to make the appointments, according to Elissa, DC Silverman Board Member.

“I’m told these are appointments for the immunization doses that will be in the allocation next week,” Silverman said in an email.

But on Saturday morning, those who signed up for dates still had problems.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said around 9:30 a.m. it was a server issue and those who were having trouble signing up should try again.

Thank you for your patience. Microsoft had to restart its servers. Please try to book your appointment again. https://t.co/dxZjeHYBFS

– Major Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) February 27, 2021

A DC resident said it took 30 minutes to get to the vaccination site and only four sites were available within 100 miles of his home. He said he was unable to register despite meeting all eligibility requirements.

Several people trying to schedule appointments expressed their frustrations on social media on Saturday morning, with one person claiming to hit ‘confirm appointment’ at 9 a.m. and the website crashed before the The confirmation screen could not load.

Residents became frustrated on Thursday when the registration site crashed, and a similar situation developed on Friday.

“The online registration system has not been completely updated for extension to residents between the ages of 18 and 64 with qualifying medical conditions. And the system was not checked by either our subcontractor, Microsoft, or the DC government to make sure it was functioning properly before it became operational at 9 a.m., ”Silverman told About Thursday’s incident, which she called “snafu”.

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At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, all city residents aged 18 and over with “eligible medical conditions” attempted to make an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine by going online at vaccinate.dc.gov or by calling 855-363-0333. According to Silverman, 4,350 appointments should be available, but should be made quickly, usually within the first half hour.

Unfortunately, website issues arose right away. At 9 a.m., when residents were supposed to be able to sign up for more than 4,300 available doses, many were again hampered by problems on the DC Health website.

DC board member Vincent Gray said he plans to hold the Bowser administration accountable for the botched deployment.

Eligible medical conditions are below.

• Asthma
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other chronic lung diseases
• Bone marrow and solid organ transplant
• Cancer
• Cerebrovascular disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Congenital heart disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• HIV
• Hypertension
• Immunocompromised state
• Hereditary metabolic disorders
• Intellectual and developmental disability
• Liver disease
• Neurological conditions
• Obesity, BMI ≥ 30 kg / m2
• Pregnancy
• Severe genetic disorders
• Sickle cell anemia
• Thalassemia

Valerie Bonk, Will Vitka, and Zeke Hartner of WTOP contributed to this report.

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