HomeMy WebLinkAbout01312021_Roye_VaccinationFrom:krillroye
To:Board of Health
Subject:Alternative scheduling process
Date:Sunday, January 31, 2021 12:24:29 PM
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Greetings,
The anger and frustration that Dr. Locke wrote about on 1/25 on the health
department's web site is indeed very real, and is growing almost exponentially.
It is exacerbated by the extraordinarily frustrating process of everyone having to
check web sites almost hourly, then fight like the "Hunger Games" with thousands of
others trying frantically at the same time to book one of the very few available
appointments on-line before a web site crashes. This is common to all locations
employing this means of scheduling, is reported daily in the local, regional and
national news media, and is especially maddening to senior citizens less facile withcomputers. Many seniors that I have spoken to say they have simply given up trying.
Others have expressed the erroneous belief that simply having registered, they will be
notified when to arrive for their vaccination.
The telephone line is even more maddening.
An alternative, one that removes this competitive aspect, would be to utilize a registry
entry that can be made at any time. Then, as he notes in the post of 1/25, asshipments of vaccine very slowly become available, registered applicants of each
cohort (each band, by whatever criteria has been used to define it), can be notified in
descending order of DOB to report for vaccination at a specific date. This can be
done by automated email or text.
Trying to accommodate convenience of appointment time should be a secondary
consideration, at least early on. Most of the first priority groups are retired, and would
be elated to make themselves available at any time, rather than be forced to competefor an opportunity.
Another alternative would be to use the same registry. Then, by lot, draw DOB from
within each band, then publish the results of each drawing. People would then reportfor vaccination at the appointed date, in the order of the DOBs drawn from that
cohort.
Either process removes the extreme anxiety and resultant frustration and angercaused by having to constantly check availability, then frantically try to get an
appointment on-line at the same time that thousands of others do the same. Both
alternatives utilize the existing registry currently employed----which contrary to a great
many registrant's understanding does not convey to them a place in the order, only
gives them notice that it is their turn to try to compete for a coveted spot.
I believe that the inherent fairness of either alternative would help do a great deal to
ameliorate the fast growing frustration and anger of which you are aware. It will only
grow worse with the current process, particularly as the size of each band in the order
grows larger.
Best regards,
Mark RoyePort Townsend
360-390-8311