Othena Fail: Vaccination Scheduling App Slammed By OC Supervisors

ORANGE COUNTY, CA —Getting a coronavirus vaccination appointment in Orange County is about as easy as finding that needle in a haystack. However, there are reasons for the perceived difficulties, according to Orange County Health Care. The Orange County Board of Supervisors, who to date have been largely in the appointment application's corner, are now lodging loud complaints about the software that has confounded the people they represent.

On Tuesday, Supervisor Don Wagner slammed OC Health Care for favoring an app that "doesn't guarantee if you have an appointment."

To date, 483,330 residents have registered for the Othena App. Of those, 78,980 have received their first vaccination. Another 89,855 have scheduled their first appointment through the app.

That leaves 314,495 waiting to be scheduled.

Readers who have been successful in making appointments don't lose hope. Seal Beach resident Ira Poltorak discussed his experiences with Patch in a recent neighbor post.

He received his first dose of the Moderna vaccine Monday at the Disney Pod and commended the volunteers working the site, saying they were all "helpful, courteous, and ensured that everyone moved through the process quickly."

Regarding the Othena app, Poltorak says that the experience "is still terrible." An email he received on his mobile had a non-responsive link.

"I had to sign up over the website," he said. "It wasn't until this morning it updated with my appointment. It did work once I arrived at the Disney pod to allow me to say that I arrived and give me my QR scan."

Poltorak was pleased with the POD, saying he was impressed. "I don't impress easily," he added. "I thought that Disney was running it, not the OC Health Agency. From the moment you pull into the parking lot until you leave the observation site, it runs smoothly, and they were 30 minutes ahead of schedule."

Supervisor Andrew Do says that some of those who have created the app are "gaming the system" in hopes of getting contacted sooner. Those residents created multiple accounts to get an appointment, yet another issue that has to be fixed, he says.

When residents register with Othena, they are placed in a "waiting room" until a vaccination appointment that meets their criteria (their phase and age) opens up. Then, an email is sent saying they have a 4-hour window to schedule an appointment. As Orange County attempts to first vaccinate the elderly population, for those residents who are 65-years-old and up, many non-tech-savvy, there are more questions than answers.

Dr. Clayton Chau defended the app, which Supervisors Do, Bartlett, and Wagner all decried for differing reasons. Wagner was upset by the lack of notifications for those needing booster shots. Do criticized the app's failure in being translated into Vietnamese and Spanish. Wagner says the "bugs" in the app are causing "a lot of frustration and confusion and looking to be inept even if there is an explanation."

Do say some residents have complained that calls to the hotline go unanswered, and some non-English speakers say they have been shifted over to English-speaking operators or have been disconnected.

Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said she had been assured that Othena is likely to integrate with the state's new pilot project app, MyTurn, in San Diego and Los Angeles counties.

"I think we're going to be able to import the data right into the state system... so we shouldn't lose anything in the translation," Bartlett said.

Do and Wagner scoffed at that, with Wagner pointing to issues with the DMV's system and the recent fraud scandal plaguing the state's unemployment program for workers laid off due to COVID-19.

"I share some of Supervisor Wagner's skepticism," Do said. "The last time we tried to do software statewide, it was a monumental failure."

Patch has spoken to readers across Orange County who are using each other as a knowledge base to discuss how to wait for the Othena App to contact you and hover over your email when your chance for a vaccination appointment is open.

"You have to answer within four hours," one reader told us. They were able to schedule a vaccination appointment at the SOKA University Super Point of Dispensing and described a positive experience with the vaccination process. "Othena was awful. The vaccination at SOKA went very well."

Read: Laguna Woods Resident Vaccination Appointments Open

Chau reminded all that the county is only providing 20 percent of the vaccines at the super PODS. Hospitals and health care providers are doling out 80 percent of the doses received.

Senior Centers, such as Laguna Woods, are orchestrating vaccinations among their residents at facilities, so those over 75 do not need to travel outside their assisted living facilities.

Chau told the supervisors that his agency is working to provide "small' and "medium" distribution points for vaccinations, which will hopefully make it easier for residents to schedule appointments.

The board approved a program to work with CalOptima, the county's insurance agency for the poor, to provide shots to seniors at community clinics and other locations other than the mega-sites at Disneyland and Soka University in Aliso Viejo.

Have you had trouble with the Othena App? or do you have a vaccination story to share? Let us know in comments, or email your Patch Editor.