Shortly after Florida Department of Health officials re-launched the Broward County COVID-19 vaccination portal, the site appeared to be offline again after experiencing disruptions earlier in the week.
The portal’s goal is to allow residents aged 65 and over to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine free of charge. Before going offline on Sunday, she had offered regular vaccination appointments and also at the drive-thru.
The site went live for the first time on Wednesday and all available slots were quickly booked until February, before the portal began to experience intermittent interruptions.
Several residents reported that the Broward County vaccination portal, https://browardcovidvaccine.com/, has shown this error message.
“We are sorry that the registration system did not work as we intended,” said Dr. Paula Thaqi, director of the Florida Department of Health in Broward, after the initial outage on Wednesday. “We recognize that our Senior Community is looking forward to receiving the vaccine. “
Authorities announced that the portal was up and running again on Sunday, thanking residents for their patients in a press release, but moments later NBC 6 received several reports from residents who were unable to access the site.
Appointments cannot be made over the phone at this time. The department has urged eligible senior citizens to check the portal frequently, as they said they are increasing the number of vaccination sites for seniors in the coming weeks.
“Know that this is just the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination opportunities,” noted Thaqi on Wednesday. “As local vaccine supply increases, DOH-Broward, together with our partners, is ready to vaccinate individuals aged 65 and over as well as additional priority groups as they are identified.”