Yahoo Autos I received my first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in New York City and had to battle a flawed booking system
When I became eligible for the COVID vaccine in New York City, I struggled to book an appointment.
I had to scour government websites, call a hotline several times, and turn to third-party sites.
There was a long line at the vaccination site, but the site workers made it run smoothly.
When I became eligible for a coronavirus vaccine in New York City, I knew it would be difficult to get an appointment after watching the slow and bumpy rollout of the vaccines over the past few months.
I've heard from older family members who live in New York and Florida that they struggled to find a vaccination appointment in their areas. In some cases, it took them days and sometimes weeks to finally get the shot. I knew it would be difficult for me too, but, eventually, I learned to work the system and got my first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
From booking an appointment to waiting in line for hours, here's what it was like getting vaccinated in New York City.
On February 14, New York opened eligibility for people with underlying health conditions to get the COVID vaccine.
People with cancer, chronic kidney disease, pulmonary disease, intellectual and developmental disabilities, heart conditions, weakened immune systems, severe obesity, sickle cell disease, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, neurologic conditions, or liver disease were allowed to make an appointment for a vaccine.
About a week after the announcement, I realized I had one of the underlying conditions listed by New York state. The city's website said I did "not need documentation from your personal health care provider or any other proof of your condition to get a vaccine in NYC."
Despite that, I still called my doctor and asked for a letter certifying my eligibility. They mailed me a letter, which arrived a few days later.
Once I got the letter from my doctor, I began the arduous process of finding an appointment in the city.
I immediately realized I had no idea how to schedule a vaccination appointment.
Eventually, I found the New York City Health and Hospital COVID-19 Vaccination Scheduler and checked for openings on the weekend. It showed a list of vaccination sites around the city with the words "No Available Appointments." I checked the site a few days later and there were still no appointments.
A couple of days after that, I received a call from my assemblywoman, Latrice Walker, saying there were appointments available at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. When I went back to the website, there were still no available appointments — even at the college.
Assemblywoman Walker also gave me a phone number to the New York City vaccine reservation call center, so I tried that next.
Contacting the call center was a long, ultimately fruitless activity.
When I called, I had to listen to an automated message list all of the eligible distinctions for getting a coronavirus vaccine. Although it's a relatively short list, it felt like forever when it was read aloud.
After being placed on hold for 5 to 10 minutes, I was connected to the operator who read the list to me again, finally asking which distinction I fell under. She then asked me a series of questions, including when I'd had my last vaccine and if I'd ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccine.
Once she collected my information, she began the process of checking for available appointments. I sat in silence for five minutes as she checked the sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Eventually, she said there were no available appointments. She told me to call back periodically throughout the day.
Although she was being helpful and kind, I felt frustrated. It was a lengthy process just to hear there were no appointments — I couldn't do that several times a day, especially because I work full-time, so I asked when is the best time to call. She told me to call between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. because that's when they get new appointments.
When I called back at that time, I went through the process again and there were still no appointments. This time, the operator told me the best time to call is at 8 a.m. because that's when appointments become available. The conflicting information was frustrating.
The operator told me to check local pharmacies and stores that have the vaccine to see if they had any available appointments.
The website and phone number I originally used only looked for appointments at public schools and at hospitals. There is a separate website that I hadn't known about that lists appointments at local pharmacies and drug stores.
To find them, I went to the site, Vaccine Finder, which shows a large map of the city and the available testing sites.
There were no available appointments here either.
While doing some research, I read about a New Yorker who had designed a website that collates all available appointments in the city.
A New York Times article highlighted a site called TurboVax. Huge Ma struggled to get an appointment for his mother in New York City because there were so many websites to check. He decided to develop his own website that would compile all of the available appointments in the city into one site, now known as TurboVax.
The information is also sent to TurboVax's Twitter account, which tweets out each appointment as it becomes available. I followed the TurboVax Twitter account and turned on push notifications for that specific account so I would get a notification on my phone the moment an appointment opened up.
Finally, I felt like I was in control of this chaotic process. But at that moment, I also realized I had an unfair advantage. There are older people who are also hoping for a COVID vaccine but might not be so comfortable with technology — they do not know how to follow a Twitter account or turn on their notifications.
TurboVax is a great option, but it definitely benefits the tech-savvy. Plus, it's a site designed for the New York City area and not the rest of the country.
Later that evening, I was cooking dinner when I got a notification that an appointment was available.
At 7 p.m., I was in the middle of frying chicken for dinner, but I jumped at my phone as soon as it chimed. I clicked on the notification, and it took me to the vaccination scheduler website. As soon as I clicked to book the appointment, I was notified that the appointment was already taken. Seconds later, I got another notification saying a new appointment opened up, and when I clicked that, it was gone too. I got a third notification, and my heart raced. When I clicked on that one, the appointment was still available.
As a pot of rice began to boil and the pan of oil began to burn, I filled out a short questionnaire as quickly as I could, determined to not lose the appointment.
Although dinner was practically ruined, I finally booked my vaccine appointment at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. It was for just two days later, much quicker than the weeks some people have to wait after booking their appointment. The school was located about an hour's train ride from my apartment, which wasn't ideal — and again, a journey that's not an option for everyone — but I was just happy that I was able to get an appointment somewhere.
Once I finally cooled down from the adrenaline rush, I realized how difficult it was to book the appointment even though only a small pool of the population is eligible right now. I can't imagine what it will be like when everyone in the city is eligible and competing for appointments at the same time.
Before my appointment, I had to get some paperwork together.
In my appointment confirmation email, I was told I had to bring my proof of eligibility — in direct contrast to what the city's website reads. I was thankful I had requested a letter from my doctor earlier in the week.
I also needed to show proof that I was a resident of New York City by bringing a valid lease or a valid ID with my New York City address on it. Since I had neither, I gathered as much mail as I could with my name and address and hoped that would suffice.
I was also told to bring my insurance card even though the vaccine is free for everyone.
