‘It’s better than the lottery.’ Manatee unveils new way to sign up for COVID vaccine
Manatee County on Wednesday announced a new waiting system to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
The waiting system is expected to resolve technical issues that plagued the county’s old system, which buckled under pressure as hundreds of thousands of people tried to access the website at the same time.
Manatee officials previously relied on Eventbrite, a website typically used to secure tickets for entertainment events. After a series of website crashes due to heavy volume, residents complained that they were unable to secure an appointment due to technical glitches.
The new system will rely on a “vaccine standby pool,” Public Safety Director Jacob Saur explained to the Manatee Board on County Commissioners on Wednesday afternoon.
Once registered, people in the pool will be randomly selected to receive the vaccine once more shots become available. According to Saur, this method was specifically chosen to level the playing field for people who are not tech-savvy.
“We didn’t want them pushed out because they can’t get to a 311 operator or a computer quick enough,” Saur said. “We didn’t want another mad rush to the site, because we know that brings it to its knees when folks rush to be first on the waiting list.”
The intent is for the new platform to go live at 10 p.m. Thursday. Those seeking a vaccine will be able to register online by visiting Vax.MyManatee.org or by calling the county’s 311 hotline. In preparation for the new system, county staff have increased the capacity for the website and the hotline.
“I think that’s good. Our people shouldn’t be sitting and refreshing for hours,” Commissioner James Satcher said.
While the county’s IT department worked quickly to develop a new platform and system to schedule appointments, Saur stressed the lack of vaccine remains the primary obstacle.
“The vaccine is just not available at this time,” Saur said.
Saur and Department of Health in Manatee County health officer Dr. Jennifer Bencie both explained how they hope to partner with other organizations once a reliable vaccine supply chain becomes available, including MCR Health.
But MCR Health has been waiting for a week for vaccines for their own staff, and have now been told it could be another two weeks, Bencie said.
“As soon as they get it, they will vaccinate their team and then can provide vaccinations at their 20 locations as they did through did through the testing,” she said. “Then eventually my team will take our mobile units to the migrant camps, mobile home parks and 55-plus communities.”
Meanwhile, at Tom Bennett Park on Wednesday, vaccinations were again underway. Between Wednesday and Thursday, officials were expecting to vaccinate 1,200 people 65 years old or older and 200 frontline healthcare workers.
The Florida Department of Health on Wednesday reported 352 new coronavirus infections, raising the total number of infections to 23,690. The official death toll in Manatee now stands at 438.
Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who criticized the county’s previous sign-up system in an interview with the Bradenton Herald, called the vaccine standby pool a marked improvement.
“I think this is a much better plan moving forward,” Van Ostenbridge said. “It’s better than the lottery system that caused the crash.”
Other local officials are also invested in improving the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“It is a matter of capacity and supply. We’ve demonstrated that Manatee is capable of using more vaccines than they can supply, so we’re pulling every lever we can up there,” state Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, said at Wednesday’s legislative delegation meeting.
Saur’s short-term plan to distribute vaccines includes administering up to 1,000 doses a day at Tom Bennett Park and another 1,000 doses at a second site.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 4:00 PM.
