Broward COVID-19 vaccination sign-up website no longer taking appointments for now
You’ll need to wait some more if you’re trying to get a coronavirus vaccine in Broward County. The county’s sign-up website, which has continuously crashed since it went live Wednesday, is no longer taking new appointments.
The county’s health department on Monday morning said all of its slots — 26,465 of them — for people 65 and older are full for now.
“Please check back at browardcovidvaccine.com often as more sites and appointments will be added over the coming days and weeks,” the Department of Health in Broward County said on Twitter.
The health department’s website crashed within hours of going live Wednesday, a problem that continued through the weekend. The health department said the issues were caused by “overwhelming demand” and eventually took the website down for maintenance.
Those who were able to schedule an appointment should receive an email confirmation within 48 hours, according to the health department. If you don’t see it in your inbox, check your spam/junk mailbox. Your appointment for the second dose will be given to you at the drive-thru site when you receive your first dose, according to the health department.
Rocky start to giving COVID-19 vaccines in South Florida
Broward’s first two vaccination sites opened Sunday and it didn’t go that smoothly, with some lined up for hours to get their shot, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS4. Those who didn’t have an appointment were turned away.
At one point, it appears that some who did have vaccine appointments also had to leave when at least one site ran out of vaccines, CBS4 reported. Those people would be rescheduled, according to the health department.
Scheduling COVID-19 vaccines elsewhere in South Florida also hasn’t been easy.
Broward Health, the hospital network, began experiencing technical issues with its vaccine appointment hotline within hours of it going live last week because of high demand. By the next day, all of its slots were full through February.
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County still hasn’t given any details about where it plans to set up vaccination sites.
At Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, phones have been ringing almost without stopping since the hospital began booking appointments for people 75 and older late last month. For more information, call 305-674-2312.
Jackson Health System, the county’s public hospital network, is also preparing to launch an online platform this week for people 65 and older to schedule vaccine appointments.
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 8:38 AM.
