Pinellas Shuts Down Vaccine Registration Process; Seniors Alarmed

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Following a frustrating day for Pinellas County's senior citizens, the Florida Health Department in Pinellas County has now shut down its coronavirus vaccine registration system.

On Monday, the DOH-Pinellas set up a registration system by phone and online to register seniors age 65 and older for the vaccine. However, a barrage of phone calls from thousands of seniors seeking the vaccine crippled the system minutes after it opened.

Residents complained they tried for hours to register only to get cut off.

On Tuesday morning, the DOH-Pinellas issued a news release saying it was simplifying the process by creating a temporary registration method until a permanent solution can be brought online.

But shortly after noon, the department issued a second news release saying the system had been completely shut down.

Patch attempted to contact the DOH-Pinellas for an explanation but was unable to reach anyone at the department.

To complicate an already snarled registration system, rumors circulated that residents could register to get a vaccine through the online event calendar Eventbrite. The DOH-Pinellas said that's not the case and any registrations done through Eventbrite are invalid.

"Again, we apologize for the inconvenience that the initial rollout has caused, and we thank you for your patience. It is our mission to get these COVID-19 vaccines out as quickly and orderly as possible," said the department's spokeswoman, Maggie Hall, in a news release.

Department of Health-Pinellas Public Information Office Tom Iovino added his own regrets and said the department was working as quickly as possible to resolve the problems with the registration system.

"We are aware of the issues occurring with the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County's COVID-19 vaccine registration system and our phone network," he said. "We understood that there would be an enthusiastic response, and we are working to promptly resolve the issues."

He assured residents who have been unable to register for vaccinations this week that there will be many more opportunities to get the vaccine.

"We are in the early phases of the vaccination program, and there will be more opportunities for vaccinations in the coming weeks and months," he said. "We appreciate your patience and understanding."

For the past two weeks, the county has been using its allocation of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to vaccinate front-line workers, first-responders and residents and staff at assisted living facilities.

As part of a state pilot programs that included Broward County, Pinellas County was the first to receive the Pfizer vaccines approved three weeks ago by the Food and Drug Administration. Since then, Pinellas County has provided the vaccine to 68 long-term care facilities, vaccinating 6,700 residents and staff members. Pinellas has also distributed 12,300 doses of the vaccine to front-line health care workers and first responders.

Over the weekend, the DOH-Pinellas announced that it would begin rolling out vaccines for those age 65 and older who do not live in a long-term health facility. Health experts have identified senior citizens as the most vulnerable to serious health impacts from the coronavirus.

Pinellas County's rollout is in keeping with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's state vaccination plan.

Senior citizens, many in their 80s and 90s, are anxious to get the vaccine as soon as possible. But their hundreds of comments on the DOH Facebook page indicate they don't think the DOH-Pinellas staff is up to the task.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.4 percent of the county's 974,996 residents are 65 or older. That means Pinellas County has 247,648 people 65 or older who are eligible to receive the vaccine during this phase.

Resident William Webster was unmoved by the DOH-Pinellas' apologies about the botched attempt to register seniors.

"When you apologize, for the apology to be accepted you must (1) state what you did wrong and (2) state what you are going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again. Otherwise, it is just empty words," he said.

"Thanks for the update, but I don't understand why a rollout plan was not in place," she said. "We had months to work out an emergency plan. This is a tragedy and inexcusable for such a wealthy county. I am truly saddened by this."

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• 12,300 Vaccinated In Pinellas; 3,262 Positive In Past 7 Days
• Florida Sees 26.29 Percent Positivity Rate; Highest Reported