A few minutes after it aired on Monday morning, the Hillsborough County registration site for seniors who expected to receive the COVID-19 vaccine had crashed, apparently due to the high volume of traffic.
The plan was for Hillsborough County residents age 65 and older to start making appointments to receive the much sought after vaccine on a county-run website that aired at 9 am on Monday: hccovidshot.as.me. Distribution is still scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
But at 9:45 am on Monday, the site was still not working. Instead, visitors saw only a blank page with the words “500 Internal service error”.
County officials said vaccination appointments can also be made by calling 888-755-2822. Telephone lines must be open from 9 am to 5 pm on Monday. However, the flood of calls on the line on Monday morning was also causing problems, with many reports of calls being interrupted or simply receiving an endless busy signal.
Similar problems with congested phone lines have been reported in Pinellas County, which also opened its vaccine registry to the public on Monday. Pinellas County residents can contact the local Department of Health office at 727-824-6900 or call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121.
In response to comments on social media and phone calls from frustrated residents, Hillsborough County officials could offer only the following “approved” statement:
“Due to high demand, the external registration system and the telephone exchange are experiencing service interruptions. Please expect continuous delays when trying to arrange a meeting while work continues to mitigate technical problems. “
Hillsborough County, working with the local Florida Department of Health office, initially received only 1,500 doses of the Florida coronavirus vaccine to distribute to residents. On Monday morning, however, the county announced that Tampa General Hospital had delivered 3,000 additional doses of the vaccine for distribution to seniors 65 and older.
With the surprise vaccination from Tampa General and another early shipment from the state health department, county officials said they expected 9,000 people to receive their first dose of the double vaccine this week.
Vaccines will be administered in four locations across the county starting Wednesday, January 6, but appointments are mandatory and there is no waiting list, the county said.
These locations are:
- University Mall (parking): 2200 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33612
- Vance Vogel Sports Complex: 13012 Bullfrog Creek Road, Gibsonton, FL 33534
- Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds: 2700 W. Risk St., Plant City, FL 33563
- Ed Radice Sports Complex: 14720 Ed Radice Drive, Tampa, FL 33626
This is a developing story. Stay with www.tampabay.com for more updates.
• • •
HOW THE CORONAVIRUS IS SPREADING IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your county, city or zip code.
VACCINES Questions and Answers: Do you have questions about the coronavirus vaccine? We have answers, Florida.
MASKS: Read the latest guidelines, tips for comfort and long-term use
GET DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.
THE CORONAVIRUS SCRAPBOOK: We collect your stories, photos, music, recipes, diaries and more to show what life has been like during the pandemic.
A TRIBUTE TO THE FLORIDIANS TAKEN BY THE CORONAVIRUS: They were parents and retirees, police and doctors, imperfect, but deeply loved.
HAVE A TIP ?: Send us confidential news tips
We are working hard to bring you the latest coronavirus news in Florida. This effort requires a lot of resources to gather and update. If you haven’t signed up yet, consider purchasing a print or digital subscription.