Kings health officials say COVID vaccines on hold due to flaws in MyTurn scheduling program

By The Leader Staff
Kings health officials say COVID vaccines on hold due to flaws in MyTurn scheduling program

Following what was supposed to be a phased approach to implement the MyTurn platform for scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments, the Kings County Department of Public Health (KCDPH) opted to delay full implementation until system flaws are resolved.

According to Kings County health officials, an important issue regarding vaccinations became apparent over the past few days when health officials found that the program (MyTurn) was unable to prevent currently ineligible individuals from registering to receive a vaccine.

Additionally, individuals could secure appointments anywhere throughout the state, regardless of their current city or county of residence. These issues would have a great impact on the limited vaccines allocated for Kings County residents.

In addition to the problems with MyTurn, the inclement weather across the nation delayed this week’s shipment of vaccines to Kings County. The KCDPH has very limited supplies of vaccines, which are intended for necessary second doses, and must therefore suspend plans for vaccine clinics until additional supplies arrive.

“The combination of these two separate and unfortunate situations has forced the Kings County Public Health Department to halt plans for vaccination clinics for the near future,” said Nichole Fisher, the nursing division manager for the Kings County Department of Public Health. “This comes at a crucial time in curtailing the pandemic, and it is frustrating for Public Health staff who are unable to do anything about these issues.”

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is aware of the issues with MyTurn, and currently, there is no timeline as to when it anticipates resolving them. The KCDPH will continue to keep the public informed and remain ready to administer vaccines when they become available immediately. Individuals can still sign up to be notified when vaccine appointments become available online at myturn.ca.gov or by calling 1-833-422-4255 (M-F 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sa-Sun 8 a.m.-5 p.m.).

Visit www.kingscovidinfo.com for current information and guidance.

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