very bad logistics

[mellowtigger]

I do not understand the rollout of the covid19 vaccines in the USA.  I'll ignore the debacle of Trump's failure to order enough initial vaccine supply (plenty of news articles describe that mess), but Biden's new administration seems to have tossed aside all previous plans of phased rollout in favor of "Everyone can get one now!  See how successful we are?"

Minnesota had a plan for phased rollout.  It got abandoned, apparently due to pressure from the White House on states, and so I never reached my 50+ age group or my "other essential workers" category.  Now, everyone 16 and older can get one, and there aren't enough.

I signed up at the Minnesota state website for notifications.  None ever came.

https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/connector/

I saw that my closed-due-to-riots Walgreens pharmacy was reopened.  They're out of appointments.

"COVID-19 vaccination appointments are not available within 25 miles of Minneapolis, MN 55411, USA for next 5 days"
https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening

I heard about a local health group called Northpoint.  They're out of appointments.

"Our COVID vaccine schedule is full for this week."
https://www.northpointhealth.org/coronavirus-updates

There's a reason that essential workers were supposed to have priority over general population.  They are vectors of transmission to other people.  Immunizing them protects more people than just themselves.  This sudden opening of the gates has ruined that process of immunization.  What's even the point of a "healthcare system" if it's just a barbaric free-for-all with no advanced planning?

I disapprove.  Call me when this nonsense is all over.  And don't even get me started about the new covid variants taking root while everybody celebrates the end of lockdowns.  Yes, I disapprove.

Comments

[foeclan]

If you signed up on the Vaccine Connector, they will eventually contact you. I just got an email from them to schedule an appointment. My normal clinic (Park Nicollet/HealthPartners) already got me in for my first shot, so I told them to free up my appointment for someone else.

[mellowtigger]

Good news. My typical health network (North Memorial) emailed me today to say that they were offering me covid vaccination. They mentioned nothing about which one or if I'll need 2 appointments.

I couldn't find the setup by logging in to their website on my own, so I eventually relented and used their custom link in the email. Their website demanded some insurance information, worded in a way that did not fit what appeared on my insurance card. I made my best guess.

This topic would make an excellent method for spammers to collect information from people. At least the domain name was correct in that custom url, so I'm confident it was legit this time.

But I am officially scheduled, at least.

[foeclan]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I bet phishing emails claiming to set up vaccine appointments are very popular right now.

[mellowtigger]

I just now picked up my mail at the front door. My bank sent me a quarterly statement. It includes a small newsletter with the main article, "Beware of Vaccine Scams". Apparently people are asking for Medicare numbers, home address information, and payments in order to pre-pay for a shot or to schedule a home visit for administering the vaccine.

And the bank spent $0.45 on postage to inform me of $0.17 interest paid on my savings account. *sigh*

[mtbc]

That indeed sounds disappointingly counterproductive. Good luck with finally getting a slot!

[mrdreamjeans]

A close friend of mine who lives in North Minneapolis received a call back from Northpoint Health, after he called to request an appointment; His appointment is on Monday. He's 54.