Rocky Vaccine Rollout Has Some Health Care Workers Steamed

Leaders at some of Massachusetts' flagship hospitals were apologizing to frustrated staff after what health care workers have called an uneven rollout of the new COVID-19 vaccine.

Several stories Monday detailed problems with everything ranging from the software used to sign up for vaccinations to deviations from the prioritization process.

The Boston Globe reported Mass General Brigham's app used to schedule vaccinations crashed due to overload, while staffers at other hospitals complained of people who aren't interacting with COVID-19 patients getting the vaccine.

Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital called the rollout there a "free for all,"according to a GBH report.

Dr. Paul Biddinger, chief medical director for emergency preparedness at Mass General Brigham and chair of Gov. Charlie Baker's COVID-19 vaccine advisory group, told The Globe the system is being burdened in a new way.

“Our medical system is not used to scarcity on this scale, certainly not in this setting of strain and the emotional fatigue this workforce is facing," he said.

The problems have been exacerbated by an unexpected shortage in vaccine doses due to what an Operation Warp Speed officials called a "miscommunication."

The state's planned rollout — informed by federal guidelines — is supposed to vaccine frontline health care workers first. Health care workers who don't interact with COVID-19 patients are scheduled to get vaccinated at the end of the first phase, after other groups have received the shots.

That first wave of vaccinations started last week.

When Patch attended a vaccination clinic at MelroseWakefield Hospital last week, top doctors said those who are interacting with COVD were being prioritized, whether they worked in the emergency room or in housekeeping.

"Starting with all people who are patient-facing," Pharmacy Director Nicole Clark said. "Starting a lot in those critical areas."

But that hasn't been the case everywhere.

At Boston's Children Hospital, employees were upset Dr. Kevin Churchwell, the hospital's president, was the second person vaccinated, according to the Globe. Churchwell said being a Black leader in medicine meant it was important to show communities of color the vaccine was safe.

Others expressed frustration at a "first-come first-serve scramble" to get vaccinated.

"This was entirely predictable," Dr. Emily Moin, who works at Mass General Hospital, said on Twitter. "This system was doomed to fail and designed—whether by ignorance or incompetence—to exacerbate inequities in our system. But it's being touted as a success because people are still getting vaccinated."

Adding to the problem was a decrease in the number of vaccinations state officials expected. The federal government informed Massachusetts it was getting 42,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, not the 60,000 initially promised.