The good news: APPARENTLY the Health Department has heard our frustrated voices and is finally instituting a system for one-time, on-line, registration for the vaccine. That is, the Health Department, apparently will no longer require tens of thousands of us to race to register each time a new vaccine supply becomes available and instead will contact the registrants for appointments. It also appears that there are no plans for first-arrived/first-served distribution sites, with the resulting huge lines.
The bad news: The debacles in vaccine distribution continue! Today, the Daily Sun published an incorrect URL for the website to register for COVID-19 vaccine. However, buried on the home page of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office is the following announcement: “In an effort to keep our phone lines open we are asking that you visit the link to make an appointment or to get information regarding this event
Safe Restart “ {That is the correct URL for the website.}
Click on that link to register for an appointment for COVID vaccine. What happens after you get registered is far from clear, and I am not sure about the security of the website-- to which you will be loading sensitive information.
Four tips based on my experience getting registered:
>When you click on the link, have your insurance card(s) handy.
>If you are not computer literate, get somebody knowledgeable to help you register. You will need to know how to include a picture of your insurance card in your application. Even then, you will have to use your imagination in filling out the insurance portion of the data.
>Don't expect a coherent explanation of the inoculation plan.
>You WILL get an emailed confirmation that you are registered.
I hope you find this information helpful. Time will tell how the new system will work, but the typo in today's Daily Sun may be an omen. I hope it isn't and that the vaccination system is getting on track.