For months, Alyssa Jenkins logged countless hours on MyTurn, Californiaâs COVID vaccine registration site as she searched for precious appointment slots for her fellow teachers.Â
âIâd become obsessed,â said Jenkins, who teaches high school English in Pacifica. âI was living in the system.â
When MyTurn debuted in mid-January, it was supposed to be a one-stop shop, a place where every Californian could register to be notified when they became eligible for the COVID vaccine and eventually make an appointment for their shot.Â
Instead, itâs become a lightning rod for many Californians frustrated by their inability to get vaccinated quickly and return to a normal life.
State’s ‘MyTurn’ website bypassed for most vaccine appointments
Billed as a one-stop shop, California’s $50 million site has instead created nonstop problems. Only 27% of vaccinations booked each day use MyTurn.
Credit: Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters
Alyssa Jenkins uses the state s MyTurn website to try to book a vaccination appointment for someone on April 19, 2021. Author: Barbara Feder Ostrov (CalMatters) Published: 4:43 PM PDT April 22, 2021 Updated: 4:43 PM PDT April 22, 2021
CALIFORNIA, USA
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For months, Alyssa Jenkins logged countless hours on MyTurn, California’s COVID vaccine registration site as she searched for precious appointment slots for her fellow teachers.
“I’d become obsessed,” said Jenkins, who teaches high school English in Pacifica. “I was living in the system.”
California s ‘MyTurn’ website bypassed for most vaccine appointments
Barbara Feder Ostrov
For months, Alyssa Jenkins logged countless hours on MyTurn, California’s COVID vaccine registration site as she searched for precious appointment slots for her fellow teachers.
“I’d become obsessed,” said Jenkins, who teaches high school English in Pacifica. “I was living in the system.”
When MyTurn debuted in mid-January, it was supposed to be a one-stop shop, a place where every Californian could register to be notified when they became eligible for the COVID vaccine and eventually make an appointment for their shot.
Instead, it’s become a lightning rod for many Californians frustrated by their inability to get vaccinated quickly and return to a normal life.
Getty Images
California rolled out a statewide COVID vaccination website this week aiming to streamline the appointment process after months of criticism, but the site is riddled with its own snags, preventing many from signing up for shots.
The vaccine sign-up website, My Turn, is the state s answer to a previous hodgepodge of vaccination appointment systems that residents had to log on to through websites belonging to various hospitals, pharmacies, clinics and many of California s 58 counties.
The site, created by tech giant Salesforce, is being integrated into insurer Blue Shield of California s $15 million contract with the state to take over its COVID vaccination distribution system. My Turn is considered a clearinghouse, allowing most California residents to register for COVID vaccinations and then receive an alert when they re eligible to sign up for a vaccine appointment. The app then directs users on how to sign up for available appointments at certain venues.