There will be no crazy streak to make an appointment for a coronavirus vaccine via the Pinellas County online portal.
Start with the next consignment of vaccine from the first doses for residents 65 years and older, and CDR Maguire, contract salesman from Pinellas County, will contact pre-registered patients to make an appointment.
The new arrangement will be replaced with the first-time protocol, which has been in place since the country launched the CDR online portal and call center last month. In the system, users had to log on to the website or call on a specific date and time to make an appointment for a limited number of doses received during the week.
Patients who did not receive any appointments were tried to get through with a frozen website, error messages and wasted hours.
“We understand people’s frustration about it,” country administrator Barry Burton said at a virtual press conference on Friday. ‘We work tirelessly with the seller to rectify this. Many people said ‘dismiss them’. But where am I going and how long will it take to set up a new system versus fix it? ‘
On January 10, Pinellas County signed a $ 3 million contract with CDR Maguire, an emergency management firm in Miami that set up an online portal and telephone bank to make appointments and track doses that the country partners with the Department of Health. in Florida.
Burton did not provide a date on when the country expects to receive a new vaccine for residents first doses. He said the delivery next week will go to the patients who need a second dose.
Officials urged residents to seek the vaccine through other distributors, including pharmacies, community health centers and hospitals. Note that all stores have their own registration and protocols.
Dave Eggers, chairman of the digging commission, acknowledged the dysfunction, but noted that all 28,000 doses the province had received in collaboration with the Pinellas Department of Health so far had been successfully administered “in arms”.
“We have made some mistakes regarding the vaccination of the vaccine and the enrollment, registration process and appointments,” Dave Eggers, chairman of the digging commission, said at the conference on Friday. ‘Many of you have experienced anxiety as a result, frustration, anger, fear and for that I am very sorry. We need to do better. ”
After more than a month of confusion over how to make an appointment for a vaccine, Florida last week introduced a new pre-registration-wide system for pre-registration. But not all provinces participate in the system. Burton said he only knew about the state’s new system on Friday.
Pinellas operates its own sites to administer the vaccine administered by provincial paramedics. Dr. Ulyee Choe, director of the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas, said officials hope they can provide more access points so transportation and other burdens are not a factor for residents.
But a lack of supply remains a problem. The vaccine is still restricted to people 65 and older, health care workers and patients for long-term care institutions.
But with 250,000 seniors in Pinellas, Burton said the demand is overwhelming.
“The reality is that 90 percent of the people who come there are going to be unhappy because we do not have the necessary supplies,” Burton said. “But the people who are there need to be able to see where they are, know if they are able to get a vaccine, or if they need to come back at a later date.”
Patients can register for a vaccine through Pinellas County by going to www.patientportalfl.com or calling 844-770-8548. The provider will call pre-registered patients if appointments are available.
• • •
HOW CORONAVIRUS SPREADED IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your country, city or zip code.
SETTINGS V & A: Do you have questions about coronavirus vaccination? We have answers, Florida.
FACE MASKS: Read the latest guidelines, tips for comfort and long-lasting wear
GET THE DAY STARTER MORNING DATE: Sign in to receive the latest information.
THE CORONAVIRUS SCRAPBOOK: We have collected your stories, pictures, songs, recipes, magazines and more to show what life was like during the pandemic.
AN EXTENSION TO THE FLORIDIANS MADE BY CORONAVIRUS: They were parents and retirees, police officers and doctors, imperfect, but they loved each other very much.
DO YOU HAVE A TIP? Send us confidential news tips
We work hard to bring you the latest news about the coronavirus in Florida. Many resources are needed to gather and update. If you have not yet signed up, consider buying a printed or digital subscription.