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.
The delay meant that pharmacies, doctors offices and hospitals were responsible for setting up their own systems: to register patients, schedule appointments, gain consent and report vaccinations to the state.