SANDY – Thanks to a big mistake over the weekend, Utah did not vaccinate nearly as many people as it could on Monday – one of several consequences in the real world.
Over the weekend, the message spread like wildfire that Utah had too many vaccines and that suitability was being opened up, and anyone who wanted one to report could. And 7,200 relatively young and healthy people believed they were doing the right thing when they signed up for appointments to be vaccinated.
It turns out that it’s just a rumor put together by a bug on the state’s website where people can make an appointment. When the dust settled, it meant that 7,200 appointments had to be canceled. Some of the slots were for Monday and no one else discussed them again, said Gabe Moreno, a spokeswoman for the Salt Lake County Department of Health.
“It’s very unfortunate that there are still a lot of nurses in public health who are ready to give the shots, but we do not have people to fill it out,” Moreno said.
We asked Moreno if a broken system is a day of many empty chairs on vaccination sites when there is a huge demand from Utahns ready for their shots.
“That would be a question for the state,” he replied. “We follow the state guideline details to vaccinate certain priority groups and we move on to those (groups) based on state guidelines.”
We reached out to the government office of Spencer J. Cox and asked if the number of unused appointments was a sign that the state should extend the election to more people.
“The answer is not yet,” spokeswoman Jennifer Napier-Pearce said in a statement. “So far, only 41% of 65-69 year olds have received at least one dose. (Seventy) + is 74% with at least one dose.”
And although she did not have the number available on Utahns aged 16 and older with serious health conditions, she said ‘it is only four days into force, so the percentage is probably low.
Low, like the number of filled chairs Monday at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, a venue that is usually one of the busiest vaccination centers in Utah.
“We have fewer appointments,” described Lee Cherie Booth, the nursing department for the Salt Lake County Department of Health.
Asked if there was a lot of waste on Monday, she said: “Yes, today, possible. But that does not reflect what we normally do.”
If there is a silver lining for the weekend bug with the online registration website, it could very well be that the wasted day does not increase the wasted vaccines.
“If we do not use all the vaccine we brought to the venue today, we can take it back to the fridge and it can stay in the fridge for up to five days,” she said.
Nicholas Rupp with the Salt Lake County Department of Health further elaborated on what happens to unused doses.
“Once thawed, the Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days and Moderna within 30 days, so we have ample opportunity to use vaccine for no-show,” he said in a statement. “The vaccine stays cool until the dose receiver is on site, so waste is minimal to non-existent. In the extremely rare case, we have an extra dose in a vial at the end of the day, and we vaccinate a staff member or volunteer. who have not yet been vaccinated. ‘
We also asked Rupp about a screenshot of the state’s vaccination schedule taken Monday at 11 p.m. There are many time slots available – some within minutes of the screenshot being filled.
This photo was taken just after 11:00 today. Look at all the available appointments that are not in use. Each of those time slots can be as many as 50, I learned. Arrive @ KSL5TV News at 17:00 and 18:00, why the waste and what happens to vaccination if no programs are made? pic.twitter.com/mMOFxB3IkK
Matt Gephardt KSL (@KslMatt) March 1, 2021
“Each appointment slot can hold 30-50 people, depending on the venue, so if you have a lock available as shown on the screenshot, it could be 49 people booked with one available,” he replied.
“We can be a little frustrated as a community that we may one day be left with the restoration of things to the new normal,” Matt Gephardt, KSL, asked Booth at the Expo Center. “But we’m not necessarily frustrated because we’re throwing a bunch of vaccine in the toilet?”
“Right. We’re not wasting vaccine at all,” Booth said. “It could be half a day or a day today that we have not kept all our appointments.”