Miami-Dade launches COVID-19 vaccination waiting list — with some glitches
Miami-Dade County launched a waiting list for senior COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday, though the rollout included some website glitches.
Multiple users reported error messages after the county announced the new web portal shortly after 4:30 p.m. Others reported success, receiving confirmation messages from Miami-Dade.
While vaccination doses are mostly restricted to people 65 and over, Miami-Dade is allowing people of all ages to register on the site. A county spokesperson said once someone is in the system, they’ll receive updates as Florida expands eligibility for vaccine injections. People 65 and over will be contacted for appointments as supplies become available, said Rachel Johnson, the county’s communications director.
Florida residents who want a COVID vaccine can now pre-register online and by phone
“We’re encouraging people to sign up who are currently eligible,” she said. “But we aren’t excluding people from signing up who are not. They won’t be able to get appointments, but they will get email updates.”
The new website, accessed through miamidade.gov/vaccine, and phone line, 305-614-2014, mean a major change in how Miami-Dade will distribute the limited number of vaccine doses it receives from Florida. Rather than announcing brief reservation windows for appointments that fill up fast, Miami-Dade will fill vaccination slots from the new waiting list.
It may not be first-come, first-served, either. With a lower vaccination rate for Black residents and ZIP codes with low incomes trailing Miami-Dade’s wealthier neighborhoods, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said this week the county may use the list to boost vaccinations in areas falling behind.
I was able to fill out the form and get the confirmation email that you then have to click to finish the process. That aspect did not work. I click but it says server's not found.
— Howard Cohen (@HowardCohen) February 4, 2021
“If we want to target because we see a particular area isn’t receiving its fair share, we can target by ZIP code,” Levine Cava told commissioners Tuesday in a briefing previewing the launch.
While the new site and phone line are taking names, demand for vaccine continues to outpace supply. Johnson said Miami-Dade has vaccine doses for appointments this week and expects another delivery for slots next week.
Among the glitches reported by users: Follow-up emails directing recipients to dead web pages and a registration system that was refusing non-Miami addresses for some. Those errors were reported when people tried to register from Coral Gables, Cutler Bay and Pinecrest. At least one registration was accepted when the user switched the city from “Cutler Bay” to “Miami.”
“We’re looking into that issue,” Johnson said.
