How a delayed software launch hindered Washington’s vaccine rollout [The Seattle Times]
Jan. 21 After a full day vaccinating seniors and health care workers, Mark Tan has gone home and spent hours manually entering their data into the state’s immunization registry.
That laborious process, played out across the state, has bogged down vaccinations and left state officials blind to where unused doses remained. Tan, the owner of a small pharmacy on Bainbridge Island, still had a stack of about 150 patient forms he hadn’t yet entered last week, despite 15-hour days.
His pharmacy is one of more than 800 coronavirus vaccine providers statewide grappling with a state immunization system ill-fitted for the pandemic. The process was supposed to be streamlined by specialized mass vaccine software, but the state Department of Health didn’t launch it until Jan. 15, more than a month after the first COVID-19 doses arrived in Washington.
Software Delays Hamper Washington Vaccine Rollout
The mass vaccination software intended to help streamline the process of getting patients vaccinated has been struggling to correct technical problems as the rollout continues. by Mike Reicher, The Seattle Times / January 21, 2021 Shutterstock/LookerStudio
(TNS) After a full day vaccinating seniors and health care workers, Mark Tan has gone home and spent hours manually entering their data into the state s immunization registry.
That laborious process, played out across the state, has bogged down vaccinations and left state officials blind to where unused doses remained. Tan, the owner of a small pharmacy on Bainbridge Island, still had a stack of about 150 patient forms he hadn t yet entered last week, despite 15-hour days.
Daily numbers of new cases are finally starting to wane, and hospitalizations are down slightly. But health care systems are still overburdened and another resurgence remains a threat.