Vaccination free for-all

[Petunia 100]

That's unacceptable. The site that gives you your 1st dose should schedule your second dose (and retain supply for it) at the time of that 1st dose. That's certainly how it's being done here. I don't know why other places aren't doing that.

Are the first and second dose the same? Same quantity and everything? If yes, I may just try to schedule another 1st dose.

[TexasHusker]

A big part of the problem with the vaccine rollout is that the bureaucrats decided to get in and muck everything up. There should be walk-in clinics throughout cities where you don't need an appointment. This is a 10-15 minute exercise, and requiring red tape is simply unacceptable, yet so predictable when Big Brother decides to get involved.

I live in Amarillo, TX, and our city has a walk-in, no appointments vaccination at the convention center. You just show up. My first shot I was in and out in 20 minutes; my second shot I was in and out in 12 minutes. 35 percent of our population has received one dose; about 22 percent have received both doses.

Word is getting around about Amarillo: There are license plates from a number of other states at the convention center.

[disneysteve]

I'm having trouble scheduling my second dose. A co-worker who got his 1st dose the same day I got mine and I are both searching online daily. I did find a pharmacy in the next county with 2nd dose appointments available, but I didn't bite because I'm not actually eligible (must live or work in the county where you receive your vaccine).

I find it a bit frustrating that it is possible to receive a 1st dose when there is no capacity to give you a 2nd dose. The clock is ticking. If I don't get the 2nd dose in time, am I supposed to start over?

That's unacceptable. The site that gives you your 1st dose should schedule your second dose (and retain supply for it) at the time of that 1st dose. That's certainly how it's being done here. I don't know why other places aren't doing that.

[Petunia 100]

Okay folks, any further posts regarding your personal views about COVID will be deleted.

If your post isn't about the availability of the vaccine, which is the topic of this thread, please don't post it. Thank you.

I'm having trouble scheduling my second dose. A co-worker who got his 1st dose the same day I got mine and I are both searching online daily. I did find a pharmacy in the next county with 2nd dose appointments available, but I didn't bite because I'm not actually eligible (must live or work in the county where you receive your vaccine).

I find it a bit frustrating that it is possible to receive a 1st dose when there is no capacity to give you a 2nd dose. The clock is ticking. If I don't get the 2nd dose in time, am I supposed to start over?

[Like2Plan]

Overbooking is a good solution. The worst that can happen is you run short of vaccines and people need to reschedule.

I think it would be far more difficult to have to try and reschedule and have to put together your transportation options twice--especially if it was difficult to get there in the first place.


But, bottom line is this: cancel the appointment you are not using if you have more than one appointment.

[disneysteve]

I would agree with you that it is not ideal, but probably better than not getting shots in arms or even worse-- having precious vaccine go to waste. (Or, overbooking--what happens if everyone shows up and then folks aren't able to get to the vaccine?)

From the WSJ article:
"In Detroit, one of the biggest vaccine operations in hard-hit Michigan has seen hundreds of no-shows since opening last week. Roughly 15% of booked appointments didn’t show on the first days the site, at a downtown football stadium, was open. That day, though the site administered fewer shots than it had capacity for, no doses were wasted, state officials said. Organizers have since started overbooking appointments to ensure as many people as possible are vaccinated."

I'm not sure but seeing that it is in Detroit, it may be focused on a lower income population. No shows for medical care are notoriously high in that population because of transportation issues, work issues (can't get the day off), child care, etc. I experienced that all the time when I practiced in a very poor area here in NJ. Overbooking is a good solution. The worst that can happen is you run short of vaccines and people need to reschedule.

[Like2Plan]

That's a lousy solution. Only booking next day makes it hard or impossible for people who work and people who may need to make transportation arrangements to get to the vaccination site.

I would agree with you that it is not ideal, but probably better than not getting shots in arms or even worse-- having precious vaccine go to waste. (Or, overbooking--what happens if everyone shows up and then folks aren't able to get to the vaccine?)

From the WSJ article:
"In Detroit, one of the biggest vaccine operations in hard-hit Michigan has seen hundreds of no-shows since opening last week. Roughly 15% of booked appointments didn’t show on the first days the site, at a downtown football stadium, was open. That day, though the site administered fewer shots than it had capacity for, no doses were wasted, state officials said. Organizers have since started overbooking appointments to ensure as many people as possible are vaccinated."

[disneysteve]

And that might explain why a lot of places won't make appointments very far out -like only next day appointments.

That's a lousy solution. Only booking next day makes it hard or impossible for people who work and people who may need to make transportation arrangements to get to the vaccination site.

[Like2Plan]

People are trying to get the soonest appointment they can. They make one appointment but then keep trying to get something sooner. I totally understand that.

And that might explain why a lot of places won't make appointments very far out -like only next day appointments.

[disneysteve]

I was taken a little bit by surprise that folks would make more than the one appointment for J&J (or more than the required 2 appointments for the 2 doses for Moderna and Pfizer) in the first place--especially since the appointments can be hard to come by.

But, I will admit that some of web sites are easier than others to navigate. It seems like some of the commercial entities are collecting marketing information (asking questions not related to vaccine eligibility) in addition to making the appointment. I found vaccine availability for a family member and while he was answering all these questions--his appointment slot disappeared which was very frustrating.

People are trying to get the soonest appointment they can. They make one appointment but then keep trying to get something sooner. I totally understand that.

I've heard similar stories about people being in the process of scheduling and by the time they got through the sign up, the appointment slot was gone. That's just poor programming. They should do it the way tickets are sold where a timer pops up and tells you that the tickets are being held for that amount of time. If you don't complete the purchase, the tickets get put back in inventory.

[Like2Plan]

If you think things are bad in the US, we are phenomenally better than some other countries. I have a good friend in Australia and she had said it's been a disaster there. They did a phenomenal job with shut downs and controlling the spread of the disease, worlds better than we did here, but their vaccination efforts have fallen way short. For one thing, their government healthcare system went big on the AZ vaccine. Now that reports are coming out about possible blood clot risk, they are advising people to not get it if they have any risk factors. She and her husband are both scheduled for a shot but now aren't sure if they should go or not. They both have issues that could put them at increased risk. The problem, along with them personally not being protected, is that the country won't fully reopen until enough of the population has been vaccinated, so this will slow that effort.

I don't think things are bad here in the US. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/international

I think the US is doing very well (but, doesn't mean we can't always do better, right?)

I look at this web site every day to see how we are doing. AK and NM had been the undisputed leaders for quite a while, but some of the other states are catching up--SD and HA

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/28/960901166/how-is-the-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-going-in-your-state

https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ND-COVID&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0oCDBhCPARIsAII3C_HvVHnklRX9uf7pm_VuwakenbOH_Avb2kLQqmeh8A_YLtUP5gY3p0QaAr0nEALw_wcB

[Like2Plan]

Some of the places don't make it particularly easy to cancel your appointments. I've seen a number of posts on our local Facebook groups from people asking how they go about cancelling. They need to make it much clearer on some of the websites and online portals.

I was taken a little bit by surprise that folks would make more than the one appointment for J&J (or more than the required 2 appointments for the 2 doses for Moderna and Pfizer) in the first place--especially since the appointments can be hard to come by.

But, I will admit that some of web sites are easier than others to navigate. It seems like some of the commercial entities are collecting marketing information (asking questions not related to vaccine eligibility) in addition to making the appointment. I found vaccine availability for a family member and while he was answering all these questions--his appointment slot disappeared which was very frustrating.

[disneysteve]

If you think things are bad in the US, we are phenomenally better than some other countries. I have a good friend in Australia and she had said it's been a disaster there. They did a phenomenal job with shut downs and controlling the spread of the disease, worlds better than we did here, but their vaccination efforts have fallen way short. For one thing, their government healthcare system went big on the AZ vaccine. Now that reports are coming out about possible blood clot risk, they are advising people to not get it if they have any risk factors. She and her husband are both scheduled for a shot but now aren't sure if they should go or not. They both have issues that could put them at increased risk. The problem, along with them personally not being protected, is that the country won't fully reopen until enough of the population has been vaccinated, so this will slow that effort.

[disneysteve]

Got Your Covid-19 Vaccine? Now Cancel Your Extra Appointments
Pharmacies and community clinics say uncanceled appointments lead to no-shows, adding to their already heavy workload

Some of the places don't make it particularly easy to cancel your appointments. I've seen a number of posts on our local Facebook groups from people asking how they go about cancelling. They need to make it much clearer on some of the websites and online portals.

[Like2Plan]

Got Your Covid-19 Vaccine? Now Cancel Your Extra Appointments
Pharmacies and community clinics say uncanceled appointments lead to no-shows, adding to their already heavy workload

https://www.wsj.com/articles/got-your-covid-19-vaccine-now-cancel-your-extra-appointments-11617796160