Demand knocks vaccine directory offline

A greater-than-anticipated response to an interactive directory that aims to help Hudson Valley residents access COVID-19 vaccines caused it to crash shortly after its launch, according to site operator Westchester Medical Center Health Network.

The directory was back online Thursday afternoon.

WMCHealth, which operates the two HealthAlliance Hospital campuses in Kingston, launched the Hudson Valley COVID-19 Vaccine Directory (online at tabsoft.co/2OmnSR7) on Wednesday to provide “real-time information for those seeking information about where recent vaccine supply has been distributed and details for making appointments for vaccination,” Michael D. Israel, president and chief executive officer of WMCHealth, said in a statement.

Thursday morning, WMCHealth spokesman Andrew LaGuardia said the site “was very popular” — so much so that it crashed. LaGuardia was unable to say how many hits the site received on Wednesday before crashing.

LaGuardia said “a team of people” was troubleshooting the issue and expected to have the site up again soon. The problem was resolved a few hours later.

On Wednesday, Josh Ratner, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for WMCHealth, said the new directory was an important interactive database that will provide residents with “an accurate picture of both vaccine availability and past distribution.”

The site allows users to search an interactive map by location type, such as pharmacy or health clinic, location name and county. Clicking on a location will bring up detailed information about the location, who might be eligible to receive a vaccine at that location, and how to register for an appointment.

WMCHealth noted that each location controls its own schedule and makes its own appointments. Also, it said, the directory does not represent the actual inventory of each location, only information about whether a location has received a recent distribution or a distribution sometime in the past.

For local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to bit.ly/DFCOVID19.