“The Covid-19 vaccine demand heavily outweighs supply,” said a Rite Aid spokesman. “When the appointments are made available they are filled quickly.” An issue on the website, which didn’t hold your appointment slot when you’d start to input your personal information, has since been fixed, he added.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/eca33262-ccce-4e87-96ec-2a6ffbe79b79/im-305267
Rite Aid says it has fixed a problem with its website, which didn’t hold a time slot as a user entered personal information. Photo: Joanna Stern/The Wall Street Journal
Congrats! You survived 12 months of pandemic! Now fragmented systems, shoddy websites and limited vaccine supply stand in the way of you and, well, the rest of your life.
It’s one of the most important human-vs.-machine battles of our time. And it’s made worse by the fact that most humans currently eligible to enter the fray are over 65 and not necessarily glued to a keyboard all day. Many sites don’t take appointments over the phone, either.
But let me tell you, these systems are maddeningly broken, no matter your age or technical skill level. From national pharmacy chains to hospitals to local supermarkets, every Covid-19 vaccine-appointment website I’ve been to has made me feel like I’m bad at computers. And I’ve, well, you know, been reviewing computers for nearly two decades!
So I set out to beat these Byzantine, Hunger-Game-like systems—and help eligible family and friends in the process, much like the generous, tech-savvy volunteers booking appointments for those in need across the country.
Along the way I met 34-year-old Kris Slevens, an IT guy who’s booked over 350 appointments for New Jersey seniors. He let me into his process, which includes setting up a browser tool and adding a couple of browser extensions. You don’t have to be some hacker or ticket scalper to master these tricks: In the subsequent week, I booked 11 appointments in five states, including Maryland, New York and New Jersey—some on the websites of pharmacy companies CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/bce67b2b-7232-47f7-8de1-ad23186fc403/im-305268
Kris Slevens books appointments for New Jersey seniors, and shared his tips. Photo: Kenny Wassus/The Wall Street Journal
Have you successfully booked a vaccine appointment online? If so, share your tips. If not, what have you found frustrating? Join the conversation below.
Does this mean you’ll be able to score an appointment as soon as you read this? I wish. This whole thing is like a Vegas poker game: You can increase your odds with some skill and good timing, but a lot of it is luck of the draw.
(What this guide isn’t for? Cutting the line. My advice will help book appointments for people whose states have deemed them eligible for Covid-19 vaccination.)
Step 1: Find local social-media groups and accounts
Because the U.S. lacks a centralized sign-up system, everything is localized to the state or county level. What works in one place might not work in another. So Facebook FB -3.39% groups have popped up in most states, with members who scout the local websites and available appointments.
Many groups, such as the one that Kris moderates, help book appointments for in-need seniors. If you plan to ask for help from someone you don’t know, be careful. Don’t share highly personal information such as passwords or Social Security numbers. Having booked for many, I know that only basic contact info—name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address—is usually needed.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/1aeebb33-76f6-4416-befb-58bca9d2af43/im-305264
Some Twitter accounts post when appointments open in their respective states. To track these messages, tap the bell icon to turn on alerts for the account. Photo: Joanna Stern/The Wall Street Journal
Head to Facebook and search for your state and “Covid vaccine.” In the New Jersey, New York and Maryland groups, I found active members providing minute-to-minute updates, links and even detailed spreadsheets about locations and appointments.