I've seen multiple OPs lately from people frustrated by their inability to get a vax appointment....

[brooklynite]

...who never indicate which State or locality they're in. If the purpose is simply to vent, ok, but if you're seeking advice, you need to tell people WHERE you are, because the resources and procedures vary wildly.

[Haggard Celine]

1. Yes, please tell us where you are.

A lot of us know of sites to visit and phone numbers to call in our various states. It's not too hard in my state to get an appointment, so if you're in Mississippi and you're having trouble getting through to them here, I'll post the link to the state site I was told about. The trick here is to make an appointment, any appointment, even if it's hundreds of miles away. If you make an appointment that's far away, just call the number listed on the site and they'll find a place that's closer to where you live. A friend gave me that advice and it worked for me. I'm fully vaccinated now. Good luck!

[Haggard Celine]

2. Here, thought I would post the link.

[link:https://covidvaccine.umc.edu|

[Alpeduez21]

3. That's a terrible link.

I don't live in Mississippi. ( )

Thank you for your kind gesture.

[Haggard Celine]

4. What's the matter with it?

It works for me. Why doesn't it work for you?

[Lochloosa]

6. Try this one.

https://vaccinefinder.org/

[Earthrise]

25. Plan Your Vaccine has links for all states and D.C. -

This thread is helping me understand why other people are finding this taxing.

Vaccine Finder has only 7 states.

I didn't have a problem because my employer sent a link to the county health department.

I'm guessing many states had developed their own websites before Biden came into office and now not having a centralized system is the source of many problems.

Plan Your Vaccine
https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/plan-your-vaccine/

[DownriverDem]

28. The Rite Aid

near me using the above link says its vaccine (Moderna) is in stock. I got my two doses through Beaumont Health Dearborn and am trying to get appointments for my husband. I try every day and the message of not having them at my Rite Aid is the same.

[White Fox]

31. They've stopped the service

[IronLionZion]

7. Good that you're vaccinated

since Mississippi decided to lift the mask mandate and open up everything. Infection numbers are likely to rise there and Texas.

[Haggard Celine]

11. Yes, that was a stupid decision.

But that's the kind of governors who get elected down here. All you have to do is get the Republican nomination down here and you'll win. Individual cities can still require masks if they like and some cities are doing so. Of course stores can still require them if they want to. But yes, I'm glad I've been vaccinated and my parents have as well. We've been very careful since the beginning of this epidemic and we're so fortunate that we made it without being infected. Several of our friends have died, however.

[IronLionZion]

5. For DC, our city government has addressed those concerns

and is switching to a waitlist style instead of people jamming up the system trying to sign up every time a new batch drops. So from next week, anyone can sign up and then be notified later when a vaccine appointment becomes available for Johnson and Johnson. This should alleviate a lot of the stress of system crashes and long hold times on the phone for the limited Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

They are also making updates to the cloud hosted site to allow more people to access it without it crashing and removed the faulty captcha system.

On a completely unrelated note, they also filled in several potholes within 2 days of me reporting it. These big potholes have been there for months and I guess no one else had reported it yet. Let your local government know your concerns and suggestions. It doesn't hurt to try. They might do it.

[bullwinkle428]

8. I'm in Iowa, and am required to go to a physical work site each day,

given the nature of the job. Just spoke with a co-worker of mine, who lives one county south of where our workplace is located, which is also two counties south of my residence.

She let me know there is an apparent over-supply of vaccine in the clinics within her county of residence. This particular county is filled with Trumpanzees, who of course, want nothing to do with the vaccine! She's already made an appointment to get hers today, and I'm just struggling with the idea of getting it before teachers, etc., have the opportunity to do so.

So, I guess my point is that if you're willing to make a bit of a drive, you may be able to find some location where you can get vaccinated in the next 24 hours!

[BlueBassLines]

9. If in NY, try:

https://www.turbovax.info/

Or

https://gregbillig.com/vaccine.html?fbclid=IwAR2AdRyfhzIzUD_xyJwaSgHLFsWR8s_vV8NjY3bZySvnzOz9wLsyMJAma-w

(With the 2nd link, once you supply some basic info, it texts you as soon as appointments become available in your area).

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. Think point of much of it is that one shouldn't have to hunt and dig.

I mistakenly and naively thought when Biden won, the whole process would be federalized. Didn't realize that states would still control the most important aspects... roll out to people and whether or not they have to wear a mask.

[wnylib]

12. The problem in my area is a lack of

vaccine. Our local paper recently reported that we are behind the average in our state on vaccination rates. So the complaint in this area is not about finding a location as much as it is about existing locations having no vaccine to give.

When I go to the vaccine finder site, 2 national pharmacy chains indicate that they have vaccine available at our LOCAL store. But then you can't click on the local store at all. It's not even there to click on. Instead, there are other store locations to click on - in Pennsylvania. True, it's within 50 miles of me, but I cannot get an appointment because I am not in Pennsylvania. I am in NY.

There are sites listed for Buffalo, but they specify for immediate area Buffalo residents only.

There are NO state sites in my entire county. NY state is totally ignoring my area. The county health department has so little vaccine that it is struggling to finish vaccinating 90 year olds. Forget about "people 65 and older" who are not in their 90s.

People with special health conditions are told to go to a state site, but there is no state site.

There was recently a one day "mass vaccination" at a nearby location. I don't know how some people learned about it in time to get there. I discovered it 2 days after the fact, when it was mentioned on an hourly news radio broadcast. These sudden, one time vaccination events occur occasionally, but without advance public notice. It's a totally disorganized hit or miss prospect here of being luckily in the right place at the right time.

So, instead of trying to get an appointment, I am ordering a reusable N95 mask today since it will be several
months before I am likely to get a shot (IF I can find one) and the UK more contagious strain has shown up in western NY.

Am I discouraged? You bet I am. Out of patience? Definitely. I have even considered getting fake ID for a Buffallo residence so I can make an appointment there.

[TreasonousBastard]

18. I'm on Long Island and see the same problems. We keep getting popups, where there may be...

a hundred doses with a thousand people calling for appointments and getting dead air. We have a local telephone/email/messaging network for where the latest is.

I blame the last guy, of course, but Cuomo hasn't done shit to organize allocation of the scarce vaccines.

[wnylib]

24. The last guy is definitely responsible

for the slow start and original vaccine shortage. But you are right that Cuomo does not have a well organized plan to distribute vaccine that is now available. It's hit or miss, catch as catch can.

I suspect that the sudden, unadvertized pop up sites are done to boost statistics in geographical areas, with more concern about appearances than about adequate vaccination. I unsubscribed from my daily email update from the governor's office and got a screen asking why. I responded that I don't want to read about vaccinations that are not available in my area and asked what good does it do to be eligible if there is no vaccine to get.

To add insult to injury, I am within the Buffalo media market area. I hear daily reports on vaccination progress there and new sites opening up with new allocations of vaccine, while there is still nothing here.

[mdelaguna]

35. Yeah NY is crazy

Broader eligibility announced by state (for people with comorbidities but when you go through the registration webpage every place has its own criteria of exclusion- pharmacies only serving age 65+ or essential workers and some mass vax sites limited to a few zip codes so even if you live in that city you can’t get one. I’m driving 6 hours round trip to get one on Saturday in the north country where when I registered there were only 2 appts left despite there being several mass vax sites in my home city. It’s really a free for all. And word of mouth really helps spread the info about how to get one. For those less connected to knowledgeable friends via the internet - I worry about the lack of information. Wish they’d have registration trucks going down the streets of underserved neighborhoods, and outreach to parents in urban school districts - but haven’t seen anything like that.

[wnylib]

36. As far as I can see, the whole process

Last edited Fri Mar 5, 2021, 10:38 AM - Edit history (1)

in NY is politicized. Locations with good connections in Albany or at the federal level (like Buffalo has) are getting more sites and vaccine. If you live in an area that does not have good political connections, you don't exist.

Granted, Buffalo has a larger population to cover than smaller cities, but it would be nice to have at least ONE state site in my county. It would be nice to have some regular, steady deliverance of vaccine to at least one site in my county, even if it was just a small amount. Then there would be a reliable source even if it was slow.

I don't know how accurate this is, but I was told by a public employee yesterday that my county health department is limited to 300 vaccine doses PER MONTH. There are 2 main population centers in the county, at opposite ends from each other, and smaller towns and rural areas in between. So, 300 doses per month???

The Republican (a trumpist) congressman in my district has arranged for a vaccination site in a very red county next to mine (limited to residents there), but not for our more populous purple county.

I am totally fed up and pissed off. I will not forget this in upcoming elections.

[TreasonousBastard]

13. If you are a veteran, especially if you are getting health benefits...

The site for VA Covid info

https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/

The site you should be enrolled in:

https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/home

This is how I got my Pfizer shots with little bullshit or hassle.

[Wounded Bear]

14. Yeah, VA did me good, too. Got my first Moderna and 2nd is scheduled for Mid-March...nt

[flotsam]

33. VA is good

But will not vaccinate spouses.

[brooklynite]

15. Turbovax.info reporting that J&J appointments are available at Javits Center this weekend.

[karynnj]

16. Agree that state is key

Every state has devised their own system, both in terms of their sign up website (and phone alternatives) and in who is eligible. As you note, it would be good to include the state - probably in the subject and maybe cross posting to the state forum because things stay near the top much longer there.

I am sure someone asking how to navigate the (fill in the state) process or commenting on their success via some workaround, really does not want comments relating to a totally different state. How things work elsewhere does not help someone having problems in a state.

However, I think many would be intellectually interested in a more generic thread which ask people to list their state and a short description of how things are working there - maybe linking to a state post if there is complex information to share. (in my case, Vermont - extremely organized, slowly moving to more eligible groups, with a system, that while not perfect assigned slots to nearly 60% of the 70 to 74 year olds eligible to sign up on the first 2 days they were eligible. Some appointments were 2 or 3 weeks later. The second shot is scheduled immediately after you get the first shot.)

[tinrobot]

17. And in some states, it goes county by county.

[Ilsa]

19. I called the 800 number for my state. My call

was directed to a call center where appointments were open. I live in Georgia.

Ron DeSatan is a POS for giving his donors first access vs following protocol.

[Ligyron]

20. Just go to the vaccine site, preferably towards the end of the day.

That's what I did and since they have to toss unused vaccine they were more than happy not to have to in my case. I got my first that way and accompanied ex to her second where I got my 2nd one too ... a day early even, just so we didn't have to dive way back there again the very next day.

Fantastic people running it and everybody patients, volunteers and EMTs nice as could be, no fights or raised voices even. Which is how it should be.

[triron]

37. I went with my domestic partner to get her 1st Pfizer. I asked about extra doses. Nope.

[Manchurian Candidate]

21. I was able to make my appointments at the cvs.com website in less than 5 minutes.

https://vaccinefinder.org/search/

[DesertRat]

22. That's great!

Welcome to DU

[panader0]

23. Welcome to DU!

[FailureToCommunicate]

26. Same here. And yes, welcome to DU. Of course like most in Massachusetts, I went

thru days of trying the state website that alternately crashed or led one to to believe that, for the few moments it took to fill out each page sequentially, you had a chance at a time slot for the appointment. Hours of clicking over parts of several days for naught. Then CVS was suggested, they alerted their email list that they had received quantities of the vaccine, and boom, got it set up in five minutes.

[speaknow]

27. The problem in getting the vaccine is

the States. They are holding on and restricting
the vaccine like it was gold. I don't think the CDC
told the States only give the vaccine to your State.
CDC had requirements and had groups to give the
vaccine to. The States should just give the F-ing
vaccine out to anybody that fits the age group
no matter what State they are from, just give it out!

[brooklynite]

29. Not every State is...

...but equity questions have abounded, especially when vulnerable populations in a locality can't get appointments and out of State people do. Several City vax centers are now imposing ZIP code restrictions.

[BobTheSubgenius]

30. Here in BC, the population is prioritized into groups, with the obvious people at the top.

Front line workers, care home employees, care home residents and, of course, those who were found to be the most needing, medically, were the group the injections started with.

In more or less one week of injections, the focus drops from one group to the next - elderly people grouped in 5-year bites. 80-75, 75-70, etc.

The board in charge of the operation opens a new phone bank each time, with each group getting its own number to call, with a designated week in which to make your call. You can delay your position on the priority list, but not advance it. So whether by design, or just missing your window, you can call the following week, or during ensuing weeks and not get lost in the bureaucracy, of which I'm sure there will be a lot.

[BobTheSubgenius]

32. Forgot to add:

Yet another, slightly more subtle reason to be grateful for the Biden administration's apparently amazing job of catch-up...

The end of US vaccinations is so close to being in sight that more vaccine is available to the "open market," so to speak. I, for one, was totally understanding of the desire to get one's own house in order before supplying the houses of others, so I was resigned to the process.

Originally, and up to a week or so ago, I was expecting to be vaccinated by the end of September. Now, I have been all but guaranteed that my date will be before the end of June, and a whole quarter earlier ain't nothin'. In fact, it's a whole lot of something.

AND...my date may be sooner than that, depending on how our system works. It's been suggested that, barring some unforeseen emergency - which really is the nature of emergencies, isn't it? - the progress here could well be more Biden-like than Drumpf-like, and I COULD be vaccinated in early May.

This is starting to look like light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel. Many heartfelt thanks to those who deserve them, most notably President Biden for rescuing a dire situation, thus pulling "our/my" situation along in the wake, and our own Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, who has provided the best local leadership imaginable. I'm sure there are many others, most of which will never be known.

[Mike 03]

34. Kicking for visibility.

Lot of helpful information and links on this discussion.