Contra Costa County expanded eligibility rollout sees some quirks

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. - If you’ve been trying to make an appointment with Contra Costa County to get the coronavirus vaccine, you may have run into some issues.

The health services department says it’s been flooded with thousands of phone calls and website reservations a day now that the county has opened up vaccinations for those 16 and older.

Contra Costa County health officials said Wednesday that over 30,000 people signed up for appointments overnight and more are coming in.

"So we take a certain number of calls and a certain number of messages through our phone line every day. And then we and then we stop. And that's an unfortunate thing. But what we don't want to have is one hundred thousand calls. We can't return in a timely manner," said Kim McCarl with the communications office of Contra Costa Health Services.

The vaccine signup form on cchealth.org is also having problems keeping up, McCarl told KTVU. For those able to register, she tells us that some users are not getting an email confirmation after signing up, but that it won’t affect your ability to get your shot of the vaccine.

"You should go to your appointment anyway, as you will. That appointment will be there for you. So that's, I think, a really, really important point."

The other important issue to note, she says, is that the registration system is not first come first serve.

Even after someone is registered, the system weeds through those at higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.

"On the back end, it allows us to make sure that we're serving our hardest hit, historically marginalized communities and making sure those folks get appointments," McCarl said.

Health officials say they county has enough vaccine for those who want it, but it is asking the public for one thing.

"I'll just say it really takes patience," McCall advised.