After tech issues have challenged D.C. residents attempting to make COVID-19 vaccine appointments, a council member is calling for a review of what happened as the city gears up for the next group of available appointments.
The D.C. Department of Health made 3,500 appointments available Saturday, but for the third consecutive day, tech issues made registering difficult for some and impossible for others.
“If individuals cannot schedule an appointment, and this is one of the main ways that we’re able to do that, that’s a problem,” said at-large council member Christina Henderson.
She has requested that the Committee on Health and the Committee on Government Operations hold emergency oversight hearings with D.C. Health and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer for a thorough review of what happened.
“We cannot afford for that website to fail two weeks in a row,” Henderson said. “It’s important for us to get this right.”
Henderson also asked for information from the Office of Contracting and Procurement regarding the contract for the registration portal.
She has been pushing for a second website to be built so that residents can preregister for appointments and make the process smoother for all involved.
In addition to the contract party details, she wants to know how much money was spent.
“I think residents deserve to know how much we’re spending on this, how much we spent on the first website, how much we’re spending on this second one,” Henderson said.
She said it’s crucial that the website works on Thursday, when additional appointments will become available.
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