Glitch results in erroneous appointments for Stanislaus County COVID vaccine clinic
More than 200 people thought it was “their turn” for a coronavirus vaccination at Stanislaus County’s clinic in Oakdale set for Friday.
Unfortunately it was not. They had somehow used the state’s My Turn online system to schedule an appointment in Oakdale for a COVID-19 vaccination. But those appointments were made in error and they won’t be honored, the county Health Services Agency said.
The county agency sent out a news release Wednesday about the incorrect appointments. None of the county’s public vaccine clinics in Oakdale, Modesto, Turlock and Patterson accept appointments.
“I am not sure what the glitch was on the My Turn end,” said Kamlesh Kaur, a spokesperson for county health services.
Kaur said about 220 people were set up for Thursday and Friday appointments at the Oakdale clinic site. There is no clinic Thursday in Oakdale, and Friday’s clinic at the Gladys Lemmons Senior Center will be first-come, first-served.
A combination of people from Stanislaus County and other counties were mistakenly scheduled for appointments by the state system, she said.
After the state informed county officials about the error, text messages were sent to the My Turn users notifying them their appointments were a mistake. Stanislaus County’s vaccine clinics are for eligible county residents and people who work within the county. So if any of the disappointed My Turn users from other counties get in line Friday they most likely will be turned away.
Oakdale isn’t far from the boundary between Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
The county is working with the state to have the My Turn program available for county residents. The county will announce when it can be used.
The state has promoted the My Turn system as a way to notify people when they’re eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. It can be used for appointments; it also enables the state to send data on vaccinations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Thursday, the My Turn page said it could possibly help users schedule vaccine appointments in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
One reason the county doesn’t allow appointments for its public vaccine clinics is equity. Many vulnerable people have limited computer access or none, or they don’t have someone that can make an appointment for them, Kaur said. In addition, the county learned from its first vaccine clinics it could inoculate more people on a first-come, first-served basis.
“We are weighing both options,” Kaur said.
The county plans to administer 500 first doses at the Oakdale clinic Friday, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until the vaccine runs out. People in the Phase 1A sectors and those 65 and older can line up for a shot.
The county Health Services Agency will no longer hold COVID vaccine clinics at Creekside Middle School in Patterson, because of the possibility of reopening more schools for in-person learning, a county official said.
The county will find another site for the Patterson clinic.
Information about the Stanislaus County coronavirus vaccine program is available at schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/. The time, dates and location of vaccine clinics are regularly posted on the Stanemergency.org Facebook page.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 1:10 PM.
