PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The frenzy to get vaccinated is causing some people to go to extreme measures to get an appointment.
Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh said the system being used to make COVID-19 vaccination appointments is PrepMod, a system recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
But that system does not allow the creation of individual, unique links — once someone makes their appointment, if they forward it to someone else, that person can also use the link and potentially snatch up someone else's spot.
This is how Pat Carbone of Huntingdon Valley was able to sign her husband up for a COVID-19 vaccination.
"It was at least six people until it got to my brother and then he sent it to me," she recalled.
Carbone received the link and kept refreshing her page until a time popped up.
But this is not Arkoosh's recommended way to get an appointment.
"This is not ethical or moral and it needs to stop," Arkoosh said.
But Carbone argued anyone she has helped has been in the 1a vaccine group with preexisting conditions and an inability to sign up themselves.
"Well, like for instance, I think of my father-in-law. He's 90. He would have no idea how to go on some link," Carbone said.
She said many in the eligible age range have no idea how to attach a photo of their medical card to their registration.
"You have to know where to have that photo that you can pull it into the file to upload it into their link. Well, you have to know how to do that," she added.
Officials say they're working on fixing it.
Gov. Tom Wolf was asked by KYW Newsradio about residents' concerns and frustrations, and acknowledged the current system may actually breed inequities as the people it's designed to protect can't actually navigate it.
"The goal should be to get the vaccine into the arms of as many Pennsylvanians as quickly as possible, that's what I'm going to be working on, that's what I had been working on. And I acknowledge we need to do a better job at doing that," he noted.
