Raleigh, NC – A coronavirus vaccination application site that Wake County launched on Tuesday morning quickly crashed under the crowd of people trying to access it.
The website and a telephone registration hotline opened at 8:30 am for people aged 65 and over to join a vaccine waiting list. Minutes later, people started reporting problems to WRAL News.
One person said the phone number reproduced a message saying that the line was disconnected and that dozens of others were unable to load the tool from the web.
Wake County spokeswoman Stacy Beard said hundreds of thousands of people had visited the site in seconds, causing the crash.
“The volume is immense,” said Beard.
Coronavirus vaccinations in NC
Bill Greeves, the county’s director of information and innovation, apologized for the difficult implementation during a Tuesday afternoon meeting of the Wake County Commissioners Council. To handle the volume of calls, he said, the county is expanding the direct registration line from 100 to 1,000 phones.
At this time, any caller after 100 receives a busy signal. When expanding to 1,000 phone lines, people will be put on hold until an agent can reach them, said Greeves. The county is adding agents to answer phones, but that could take several days, he said.
“This is a matter of supply and demand,” said Commissioner Council President Matt Calabria, noting that the county, like most places in the country, simply does not have enough vaccine for everyone. “We are working with the state to the best of our ability, but ultimately the state is struggling with its own scarcity problems. “
According to state officials, 458,914 people in North Carolina have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far, which represents about 4.4% of the state’s residents.
Despite busy phones and a blocked website, the county had enrolled 23,000 people by mid-afternoon, including hundreds who are not yet eligible for vaccination under state guidelines, officials said.
Some people simply bypassed the system – and the waiting list – and showed up at the offices of Wake County Health Department, where they got their vaccinations immediately, without an appointment.
“We were trying to access the site – several sites – trying to do the injection, and my daughter called and said they were doing the injection here [and] go and try because a friend of hers got the injection, “said Chris Anderson, who was vaccinated along with her husband, Tom.” That’s how we ended up here. He went down immediately and we were lucky to get the photo. “
“It was wonderful. It was very peaceful, ”said Virginia Michaud, who was vaccinated with her husband, Richard. “They took our names, sent us on the line and we got our chance. We were there maybe 15 minutes, maybe 20 minutes, and it was fabulous.”
Beard said that no one without an appointment will be accepted for vaccination starting on Wednesday.
Other vaccination options are available for residents who are unable to access the Wake County system:
- UNC Health has 17 clinics open across the region
- Duke Health also has several websites open and can put people on a waiting list
Wake County leaders created the waiting list system so that people didn’t have to queue or line up in vehicles to get the vaccine. Instead, once people are on the waiting list, they will receive a call when a vaccine appointment is available.
“We did the best we could to create a system that is friendly and integrated,” said Calabria
If you qualify for a vaccine, you can sign up for the waiting list by calling 919-250-1515 or visiting wakegov.com/vaccine.
Callers will be asked about eligibility, whether they have a primary care physician and their name, telephone number and email address. They will be added to the waiting list.
“This is not a first come, first served system. We are prioritizing those who need it most. If you are 75 or older, we are prioritizing you. We are also prioritizing people who used to be in the [Phase] 1The qualification, “said Calabria.
Phase 1A included healthcare professionals who treated COVID-19 patients and residents and employees of long-term care facilities. North Carolina recently overhauled its vaccination priority list and eliminated the Phase 1A designation.
In addition to age, the risk of getting the virus will be used to determine where someone will be on the waiting list.
As the county receives doses, those on the waiting list will be notified by phone, email or text message, and will have the opportunity to schedule an appointment, over the phone or online.
According to the county website, the wait can be “several weeks to months before you are contacted for an appointment.”