As soon as open commitments, they seem to be fulfilled again.
In the chaotic race to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, authorities are asking for calm, while there are not enough doses yet for everyone who is now eligible and ready to schedule their first injection.
Helping people in communities in the United States find one Supplier of the COVID-19 vaccine that still has vaccine stock, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital and Castlight Health to launch a new tool earlier this week.
The free online service, VaccineFinder, will allow users to search for places that offer vaccines close to where they live and, hopefully, streamline the process of finding an available appointment.
“The idea is to show where the suppliers of the COVID-19 vaccine [are] that are open to the public – how to contact them, how to make an appointment and try to show the status of the daily inventory so people know where there is a vaccine and where there is not ”, John Brownstein, said VaccineFinder founder and innovation director at Boston Children’s NPR.
The virtual tool is operated by epidemiologists and software developers in Boston Children’s who work with clinics, pharmacies and health departments to collect and report accurate and up-to-date information about local services.
COVID-19 vaccination providers across the country will begin reporting vaccine inventory data available every 24 hours, according to the website.
Finding #COVID-19 vaccines has been a challenge for so many
Dispersed and isolated systems make it difficult to find accurate and timely information
I look forward to announcing the beta (re) launch of @vaccinefinder in partnership with @CDCgov AND @CastlightHealthhttps://t.co/mUgZuZjkTs (1 / N)
– John Brownstein (@johnbrownstein) February 25, 2021
“Dispersed and isolated systems make it difficult to find accurate and timely information,” Brownstein wrote in a tweet announcing the relaunch on Friday.
He said the tool would also show users how to contact vaccination sites and direct them to the consultation portals at each site.
The initial launch, he added, does not address the problem of limited vaccine supply.
Brownstein shared how VaccineFinder was originally created during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic in partnership with Google.
“Since then, we have been looking for a wide variety of vaccines (herpes, HPV, travel vaccines, etc.),” he wrote.
Although in most states the initial launch was limited to providers who are receiving vaccines from the federal government, those living in Alaska, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee can search their zip codes and discover an interactive map of each vaccine provider, including hospitals, clinics and nearby public health facilities.
Brownstein told NPR that in the coming days and weeks, all states will be added to the mix.
As vaccines become more widely available, providers can choose to make their locations visible – or not – on the VaccineFinder website, making it easier for the public to identify which locations still have inventory.
“This is a baby step in the complex number of steps that people need to take to get [a] vaccine, ”Brownstein told the station. “But we hope it will at least help to reduce some of the noise and confusion out there.”
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