Website crashes mar early coronavirus vaccine rollouts

Website crashes mar early coronavirus vaccine rollouts Website crashes and tech glitches are afflicting the U.S. coronavirus vaccine rollout that is already behind schedule based on the goals the Trump administration set out. Rebecca Klar TheHill

Website crashes and tech glitches are afflicting the U.S. coronavirus vaccine rollout that is already behind schedule based on the goals the Trump administration set out.

Several counties in Florida experienced delays and website crashes on Monday, and the largest county in Texas had to take its website down as ineligible residents tried to book slots.

The issues surrounding booking COVID-19 vaccinations comes as the number of cases across the country spikes. Meanwhile, just about a quarter of the 20 million Americans the Trump administration set out to vaccinate by the end of the year have received the first of their two doses.

Clearly we do not want technological glitches to get in the way to fully implement a national vaccination plan,” Nicol Turner Lee, the director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation, told The Hill.

The issues, she said, are reminiscent of the website issues experienced during the ObamaCare rollout.

“I think [the] government needs to really think about how to overhaul systems so it can accommodate what has essentially become the new normal, which is online,” Lee added.

In Florida, at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), seniors over the age of 65 are eligible to receive the vaccine, creating high demand across the state.

At least two Florida counties, Hillsborough and Pinellas, on Tuesday shifted to only book appointments by phone after overwhelming demand crashed their websites. ...