Vaccine Appointment Help - A thread to help others

[wvjules]

I've noticed on a few of the vaccine threads people asking for help finding vaccines, others providing information on how to find vaccines, etc. I thought maybe it would be helpful to have all of these in one post so we can help each other out.

 

[Doingitagain]

Assistance is best provided locally since eligibility and access vary widely.

For Minnesotans, click on "Start Here" on this site, it has all the information and tips you need. Compiled by some resourceful Minnesotans with input from thousands of others. Minnesota Vaccine Hunters (mnvaccinehunters.com)
NOTE: Search for "Vaccine Hunters" in your local area, both for websites and and Facebook groups.

This site has links to help with Pharmacy appointments for each state. It automatically searches for openings for you. COVID-19 Vaccine Spotter
Tip: Create accounts for the pharmacy sites in advance to make sign-up go faster.

 

[wvjules]

Assistance is best provided locally since eligibility and access vary widely.

For Minnesotans, click on "Start Here" on this site, it has all the information and tips you need. Compiled by some resourceful Minnesotans with input from thousands of others. Minnesota Vaccine Hunters (mnvaccinehunters.com)
NOTE: Search for "Vaccine Hunters" in your local area, both for websites and and Facebook groups.

This site has links to help with Pharmacy appointments for each state. It automatically searches for openings for you. COVID-19 Vaccine Spotter
Tip: Create accounts for the pharmacy sites in advance to make sign-up go faster.

Agreed but others have provided help in other threads on getting appointments. I just thought it might be a good idea to have it all in one place.

 

[DLgal]

Check on Facebook for local vaccine groups. I found several in my area and joined them and that is how I found out how to score a CVS appointment. I have since helped several others do the same.

 

[Doingitagain]

Agreed but others have provided help in other threads on getting appointments. I just thought it might be a good idea to have it all in one place.

I am sorry I worded that poorly. I didn't intend for it to be taken as not to post. I just wanted people to know that what works for someone may not work for someone else, and the best tip is to look for local resources like those I posted. Sorry!

 

[macraven]

I don’t know if this will help anyone but this morning
N GA (Catoosa county) is allowing anyone that lives in GA, Tennessee or Alabama can get their vaccine
Appointments are being set up now with catossa public health

 

[NotUrsula]

If you have a flexible schedule and can drop everything to go get it quickly, then you can use the Dr. B app to put yourself on the list for using up leftover no-show vaccine doses. This app is nationwide, and normally requires the recipient to show up within 2 hours of being notified that a shot is available.
https://hidrb.com/

 

[Praying Colonel]

I was having a terrible time navigating the various county/state websites to find something in my state. I was able to book something about 3 hours away, about 3 weeks from that point, but it was a pain.

On a recommendation I went to vaccinefinder.org. Much easier to use, and I was able to find a closer appointment, both in terms of time and distance. Highly recommend that website.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We’re in MA, and DH and I actually got our appointments (both for later this week) in different ways.

1) Go to mass.gov and pre-register. They will contact you (you can choose phone, email or text) when they have space for you. It took about a week, and then I got an email saying “it’s almost your turn” and that I would get a link the next day. That was accurate, and I was able to pick out of several time slots. (If none work for you, you can let them go to the next person but stay on the list for your next chance.)

2) Sign up for the CVS app, and stalk the list daily. Try at different times, but I’ve heard very early AM is best, and that’s what worked for DH. (He happened to be up in the middle of the night, but after 12:00, and caught one.) - The trick is to note which towns near enough to you have availability when you log on, because you will be asked to type in the town you want during the process! (It doesn’t have to be the town you live in.) I actually printed out a list to keep handy, so we could just check them off while we were looking.

 

[GreatLakes]

Ohio has a pretty good website with many third parties aggregated. I haven't tried to schedule one yet but here is the link:

https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov/

 

[fla4fun]

I originally pre registered with the state of Florida and my county, on their respective DOH websites. That just meant they would send me an email when I was eligible so I didn’t have to try to keep track of age restrictions.

To get my appointment, I went directly to the Walgreens website once I was eligible and got an appointment a few days out. I made my appointment at 10:30 Saturday night. I do not know what time they dropped availability but my sister got her appointment (also in Florida) through Walgreens about 10:00 pm on Saturday. She was the one who alerted me that there were appointments available. It automatically booked the second appointment when it booked the first, so I don’t have to hunt for an appointment for the second shot.

I did get the email from the state that I was now eligible and there was a link in the email to book an appointment if you hadn’t already made one. Since I had one, I didn’t click the link to see where it went.

I got my first shot this morning. Good luck to all of you searching for appointments.

 

[soccerdad72]

In Ohio, word is that if the website is not showing any appointment times, call (yes, on the phone ) them at 866-982-1979 and many people have said they've been successful in booking appointments that way.

 

[wenrob]

Agreed but others have provided help in other threads on getting appointments. I just thought it might be a good idea to have it all in one place.

It’s a great idea. If not for the threads here I would not have known to look somewhere other than my county health department. They are woefully behind on who is eligible. A quick Google search showed me when my eligibility was coming up. So my tip is to use your Google skills and don’t depend on your county website to be up to date.

For Clark County NV it was astonishingly easy to get an appointment so if you’re in Vegas or thereabouts start checking the pharmacy websites.

In Seattle DD tried different zip codes to find one.

 

[tvguy]

Here is just plan takes work to get a vaccine if you aren't in the tier being vaccinates
1)Monitor vaccine site websites for places that may have extra vaccine towards the end of scheduled operating day.
2) Get up at midnight and try and get an appointment at some of the private providers
3) Camp out at a vaccine site

Unfortunately, many of those most in need don't have computer access or skills, or physically can't get up at midnight or camp out.
The big issue is lack of vaccine in my area. Fortunately, the next wave of supply is predicted to arrive after April 1, which is next Thursday. But in the past predictions were optomist on supply arriving

 

[Keetchino]

For NY....

Go to the covid19vaccine government page for NY. Click on the check eligibility, once it says you’re eligibile it will show you a list of providers. This section is only updated once an hour, so if it says no eligibility ignore it. Keep proceeding forward until it lists the individual locations with a link to “schedule appointment”, probably above a notice that says no availability. Once again, ignore the no availability and click on “schedule appointment” under the location you prefer. It will redirect you to a page that will probably off the bat simply say “no vaccine appointments available”. At this point, keep hitting the refresh button. THIS section is updated in real time, so as someone cancels an appointment it will show up shortly after. Just keep hitting refresh, I noticed there tends to be a “data dump” about every 5 minutes, around when the minutes read “03” and “08”, give or take a minute, where like 6 different dates will pop up with availability. You have to be VERY FAST to click on schedule appointment, you have ZERO time to read through. Schedule first, worry about the rest later. If a date pops up, and when you click the schedule button it takes you to a page where times show up, if you click a time and it takes you to a new page to input your info you can slow down, you’ve snagged that time and can take your time putting the rest of your info in.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I know is NJ that some towns/counties are reaching out to seniors and those that may not have internet/computer with a phone call. It gives out a local number to call. I know of several people who have received their vaccine this way. You call, leave your information and they usually call you back in a week or two to schedule an appointment. I actually got my vaccine first dose today (I don't live in NJ) and trying to get an appointment through a pharmacy was ridiculous. I signed up with my local board of health and got an appointment in about a week. I'm already scheduled for my second dose.

 

[lovemygoofy]

A tip for veterans and their families:
Last week Congress passed a new resolution and was signed by POTUS yesterday allowing all veterans, spouses or caregivers access to vaccine at their VA. The military person does not have to be enrolled at that local VA. Call the local VA clinic in your area for possible appointment if meet the state eligibility. Here in Indiana any veteran/spouse/caregiver 18+ is eligible.

 

[Diaz]

If you have a flexible schedule and can drop everything to go get it quickly, then you can use the Dr. B app to put yourself on the list for using up leftover no-show vaccine doses. This app is nationwide, and normally requires the recipient to show up within 2 hours of being notified that a shot is available.
https://hidrb.com/

This Dr B site looks great! I volunteer at a vaccination site, and the director is constantly trying to find folks to use up leftover vaccines. It’s gotten as bad as toward the end of the day, asking folks that are there to receive vaccine if THEY know anyone that would like a vaccine. She has run through her stand-by call list, and just starts calling local businesses, libraries, factories, trying to use up the shots.

 

[LuvOrlando]

So in Pa, and apparently in Delaware (according to a friend) things are being organized by individual pharmacies who want appointments booked online as far as I can tell.
Sooooo I went looking and while the "formal" policy is that all the systems are open to the public, in practice you need to be sort of recognized by the individual system to get an appointment. Try to set up an account & nope , the servers won't serve :/. So how to get around this, you ask? Well, the secret handshake is to push a prescription of some kind through that pharmacy and tell them you want an online account, I was surprised to discover that some require a prescription number to get a record number, others create one when your insurance is updated. In a word, tricky.

 

[Kestryl]

Has anyone run into an issue with Walgreens having plenty of first appointments, but no second appointments so they won’t let you book?

There are several Walgreens in the area that have 30 or so appointments for tomorrow , 30 for Friday, etc, but there are allegedly no appointments available for dose 2 so it won’t let me book.