‘We’ve had technical issues.’ Manatee commission to consider fixes for vaccine program
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss COVID-19, including possible ways to improve vaccine distribution.
The public meeting will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Longboat Key Room at the Bradenton Area Convention Center at One Haben Blvd., Palmetto. Those in attendance will have to adhere to the CDC’s social distancing guidelines, and face coverings are required.
Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge requested the meeting to address a bevy of concerns regarding the vaccine’s rollout. In an interview with the Bradenton Herald on Tuesday morning, he said he’s looking to improve the registration process.
“The issues we’ve had have been IT. We’ve had technical issues,” Van Ostenbridge explained. “Our website was overwhelmed both weeks and crashed. We had over 300,000 hits on the website and we’ve never experienced that sort of volume before.”
At Wednesday’s meeting, Van Ostenbridge hopes to discuss immediate fixes for the county’s technical problems, such as improving server capabilities to prevent the website from crashing or implementing a waiting list that ensures residents will secure an appointment at a later date.
“Currently, it almost feels like a lottery. I’ve heard people say they feel like they’re waiting in line for Springsteen tickets,” he said.
The county’s vaccine site crashed on Monday afternoon within moments of new appointments becoming available. Despite the crash, the appointments were all booked within 90 minutes of being posted.
Another one of Van Ostenbridge’s goals is to create a simpler process and a website that’s easier to use for older residents.
To date, the county in collaboration with the Department of Health in Manatee County, has vaccinated 3,692 front-line healthcare workers and people 65 years old or over. On Monday morning, the county received an additional 1,400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
The county recorded 124 new local cases of the coronavirus on Monday, making a total of 23,044 infections since the start of the pandemic. The death of another resident from COVID-19 was also confirmed, raising the official death toll of Manatee County residents killed by the disease to 436.
On Wednesday and Thursday, an additional 1,200 seniors are scheduled to be vaccinated at the county’s drive-thru vaccine site at Tom Bennett Park, 280 Kay Road, Bradenton, just northwest of the Interstate 75 and State Road 64 interchange.
The additional 200 doses will be used to vaccinate front-line healthcare workers, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. at Tom Bennett Park.
Written public comments for Wednesday’s meeting can be submitted at mymanatee.org/comment. Those comments need to be submitted by 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Members of the public can also call in during public comment by dialing 888-788-0099 or 312-626-6799 and entering the Zoom meeting ID number 871 4272 7973 followed by #.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
