Getting appointment for COVID vaccine in Manatee County is ‘exercise in futility’ | Letter to the editor

The Bradenton Herald can stop running daily articles telling citizens how to schedule appointments for COVID vaccine. Scheduling an appointment in Manatee County is nothing more than a ridiculous exercise in futility. A person has a greater chance of winning the lottery than getting an appointment for a vaccine in Manatee County.

I tried in late December to schedule an appointment. On the long awaited day, seniors were directed to call at 10 a.m. By 10:04 a.m., I realized that the web site (www.mymanatee.org/vaccine) was inoperable and the 311 phone number, which was given as an alternative way to schedule, rang busy constantly. The next day, I read in the paper that all appointments were filled by 10:30 a.m. the previous day. Really? 10:04 a.m. was more like it.

Then, on Jan. 4,we were, again, given instructions to call a number or go to a website at 2 p.m. to schedule an appointment. Again, it was impossible to get through via telephone or internet.

My questions are: How on earth did 1,200 people in Manatee County manage to get appointments? Who do they know? What was their strategy to get thru a busy telephone signal and a crashed website? I would welcome some answers from either Dr. Jennifer Bencie, the Health Department, or a recipient of the vaccine.

Susan Nachand

Sarasota