The news began to spread on Friday on social media and in personal messages and conversations: The state of Utah was reportedly having trouble filling in appointments for the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines could be wasted.
Therefore, thousands of Utahns went to the new system at vaccinate.utah.gov. By mistake of the State Department of Technology Services, recognizes the state, the site allowed the scheduling of consultations – despite not having specific health conditions or being old to meet current criteria.
So while the defective website led these Utahns to believe that there were vacancies and wider access, they didn’t – and now 7,200 people have had their appointments canceled or canceled on their own, and some are facing attacks on social media.
“I’m not a vaccine hunter,” said Kristin Fredrickson, 35, of Salt Lake City. “People are defaming me for signing up for a vaccine. That is not what happened. “
She and several other people told the same story – they heard that vaccines were not used and appointments were not filled, so they went to the site to register.
“That’s what led us to do this,” said Dustin Wolters, 38, of Riverton. “I thought – if they’re not using it and the vaccines are going to get lost, I don’t want to miss it.”
[Read more: A flawed design by state employees allowed 7,200 unqualified Utahs to sign up for COVID-19 vaccine, officials say]
He heard it from a friend who heard it from an uncle, who is a doctor. Julie Bartel heard this from a friend who is a professor at the University of Utah. A circulated social media post quoted an emergency physician at the U .; a spokeswoman said on Monday that the U.S. is investigating this tweet.
“The nominations were made in 100% in good faith,” said Bartel. “Nobody was trying to skip the line, but to make sure that the shots were still being used, which did not seem unreal given the news about the percentage of Utahns who would probably choose not to be vaccinated.”
Governor Spencer Cox said last week that “starting in April and May, our biggest concern will be the hesitation of the vaccine, like how to convince people to get this vaccine because we have too much of it.”
Wolters tried to call the county health department to check the information he had heard, he said, but there were more than 50 calls waiting in front of him. “And without being able to do that, we didn’t want to miss our opportunity.”
And he also felt that the history of unscheduled appointments seemed plausible.
“I personally know people who got the vaccine because of the circumstances when people did not come to the appointments,” he said. “So it seemed that there was a basis for truth in the story that we had heard.”
And when he answered all the questions sincerely and was even allowed to register for an appointment, he said, it seemed like a confirmation that what he had heard about unused vaccine doses was true.
“I thought it was legitimate,” agreed Fredrickson. “You assume that a government website will be programmed correctly. You should not allow yourself to register if it is not OK. “
And they are particularly frustrated at being cheaters or line jumpers. There is a “strong hint that all of us who responded with sincerity and signed up in good faith did something intentionally wrong,” said Bartel.
“I was really upset,” said Fredrickson. “Because we have followed all the guidelines. We stayed at home. We haven’t seen the family in over a year. We didn’t go to Christmas. I didn’t see my mom. I didn’t see my father. We lose marriages. We miss birthdays. “
They feel guilty for public opinion, without an appropriate apology or response from government officials. Technology officials from Salt Lake County and the state became aware that there was a problem on Friday night, spokesmen said on Monday.
Pressure from Salt Lake County social media to clarify that the vaccine’s eligibility had not changed only started after noon on Saturday and initially did not address or explain the flaw in the site that was allowing unqualified residents to consult.
The Utah Department of Health issued a statement after 6 pm on Saturday explaining that there was an error on the site.
“The government / health department’s response was disheartening,” said Bartel. “Just an apology for the interruption and inconvenience and for the overwhelming disappointment of having canceled appointments. No real explanation of how or why it happened.
“Hearing my sister-in-law cry tears of relief because her daughter in her senior year of high school – forced to return to school four days a week starting this week – had a vaccination appointment was a moment that I will not forget. Knowing that the appointment was canceled 24 hours later is not something I will forget, either. “
Brenda Wiebe, 35, of Salt Lake City said that believing she had an appointment just to see it canceled was “incredibly disappointing. For a brief moment, I could see the end of the tunnel. A place where selfish people who don’t wear masks in supermarkets and the elevator in my building no longer endanger my life because I would be protected. “
Wolters and his wife, Tristen, are 38 years old and have no pre-existing illnesses. They are looking after an elderly family member who has been diagnosed with cancer, “so we thought, ‘If we can, we can reduce the risk of exposing him,'” said Wolters.
They are not angry that they still have to wait their turn, but are frustrated that they think they had registered correctly just to have their appointments canceled.
“If there are people who need it more than we do, I understand,” he said. “We don’t want to take that away from them.”
This is another common refrain among those who thought they were making legitimate appointments only to be canceled. “I don’t want to be vaccinated before it’s my turn, rightfully,” said Jason Black, 45, of Salt Lake City. “Let teachers, frontline employees and older people, etc., get yours first, but what a disappointment.”