Lack Of Communication Leaves Unvaccinated Seniors In Limbo

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Nearly 64,000 people have now been vaccinated in Pinellas County, but the Pinellas County Commission received an earful Tuesday from those who haven't been able to register for a vaccination appointment.

Seniors age 65 and up who have been trying to register for a vaccination through the county's vendor, CDR Maguire HealthPro, told of a host of problems navigating the system.

Their frustration mounted Saturday when the county announced that the CDR Maguire HealthPro portal would begin accepting registrations for 8,000 vaccinations at 10 a.m. Saturday. Minutes after the system went online, there was a technical problem that caused the portal to crash.

CDR Maguire promised to resolve the issue and notify residents when the portal reopened. But instead of notifying residents on the CDR Maguire website, the company posted a notice on the Department of Health-Pinellas website.

Residents who had been waiting all day to register never received the notice that registrations would reopen at 1:45 p.m. and missed out once again on getting their vaccinations.

"The company was putting the information out on our website but not on the company website where people were logged in," County Administrator Barry Burton said.

"We have folks who are so frustrated. They were lined up at 10 o'clock Saturday morning and probably waited hours before giving up," said Commission Chairman Dave Eggers. "They never knew the portal was back online at 1:45 p.m. The communication has to improve. It just has to."

Commissioners have been bombarded by complaints as the county, which has one of the biggest populations of seniors in the state, attempts to vaccinate residents age 65 and up.

To date, Pinellas County has received 65,000 doses of vaccine from the state, but the majority have gone to staff and residents at the county's 68 long-term care facilities, first responders and front-line health care workers.

There are 243,749 people age 65 and older in Pinellas County, according to the 2019 U.S. Census report. With the county being allotted 8,000 doses a week from the state, it would take months to vaccinate all the eligible seniors with the required two doses.

Saturday was the third time the county opened up appointment registrations for seniors age 65 and up. After spending hours trying to get appointments, Pinellas seniors say they are fed up.

"The message I got at 10 a.m. and after was, 'We are down for maintenance. Sorry for the inconvenience,'" said resident Donald Engdahl. "What a disgrace. If this were the private sector, people would be fired."

Bob Homan of Largo said he was among the seniors who logged onto the website Saturday morning only to be informed it was down for maintenance.

"I did not get an alert or any notice that the website was coming back online later," he said. "I was very disappointed, very frustrated."

He said he at least knows his way around a computer.

"At least half of the seniors don't have access to a computer or don't know how to get online," he said. Homan said he'd prefer a system like the one Publix Supermarket delis have in which customers pick a number and receive service when their number is called. That, at least, would eliminate the uncertainty.

Resident Barbara Harvey agreed. She has a master's degree in computer information systems and said even she had difficulty navigating the registration system.

Commissioner Rene Flowers noted there is a large population of Pinellas seniors living in Housing and Urban Development projects who have no access to technology and no transportation to get to a vaccination clinic even if they're lucky enough to get an appointment.

The county hasn't announced the next registration date but reminds seniors age 65 and up who were unable to book appointments Saturday to be sure to set up an account at the patient portal to make it easier for them to schedule an appointment the next time vaccines are available.

Notifications of new vaccine appointment openings in Pinellas will not be available through sign-ups on the patient portal. Residents should check the county's vaccine website, Facebook and Twitter for regular updates.

There are no vaccines available for residents without appointments, and residents cannot be placed on a waiting list. They must call or go online each time a registration period opens.

Dr. Ulyee Choe, director of the Florida Department of Health-Pinellas, said the demand for the vaccine far exceeds the supply the county is receiving. He added that the county is working with CDR Maguire to make sure the system functions more smoothly the next time vaccine appointments are available.

To vaccinate as many residents as possible, the county opened four public vaccination sites last week manned by paramedics. The sites are able to administer 2,200 doses of vaccine a day.

The state has also sent additional doses to hospitals, health care providers, pharmacies and long-term care facilities, Choe said.

In the coming weeks, a large portion of the state supplies of vaccine will be used for second doses, which are critical for the vaccine to be effective, said Choe.

Choe also updated the commission on the spread of coronavirus in the county:

• Pinellas has had a 7.1 percent average positive test rate over the past week.
• There have been 1,255 total deaths, 67 percent of which were people over the age of 65.
• Hospital and ICU capacity is currently stable.

The county commission also reminded residents who are experiencing life-threatening medical emergencies to call 911. There has been a rise in deaths unrelated to coronavirus because residents are afraid to seek emergency medical help due to the pandemic.

See related stories:

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• FL Residents Fear Their Vaccines Are Going To Non-Residents
• How To Get A Coronavirus Vaccine In Pinellas County
• Pinellas To Open Vaccine Registrations At 10 a.m. Saturday
• Vaccination Frustration; Pinellas Has To Do Better, Say Seniors
• Mad Dash For Vaccine Leaves Pinellas Seniors Irate, Irked
• Pinellas Shuts Down Vaccine Registration Process; Seniors Alarmed