Lack of online booking options for COVID-19 vaccine questioned

Questions about limited online booking Some B.C. residents are questioning why Fraser Health is currently the only health authority allowing online booking for vaccine appointments.

VANCOUVER — Despite the difficulties people have been experiencing getting through on the phone to book a COVID-19 vaccination, right now it’s the only option for many in B.C.

Only one health authority has online booking available so far, and though that’s supposed to change, some are questioning why it isn’t being made available sooner.

Joanne Loh’s 93-year-old father John is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, but like many others, he’s found getting through on the phone hasn’t been easy.

"The phone line cuts out after a while, so he cannot even stay on hold and has to continuously call back,” she said. “It’s additional stress that our seniors don't need at this time, so it’s a very frustrating experience for them."

Loh isn’t even able to help her dad, who lives in Richmond, as she’s living and working in Colorado, and the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) phone line isn’t accessible there. Her father is not only more at risk due to his age, he’s also fighting cancer.

"He was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 cancer and is undergoing chemo, so he is in this very vulnerable group of seniors that really do need a vaccine," she said.

"I did anticipate that we would have trouble getting through, because I would think everybody would be anxious to get an appointment for the vaccine, so that this high volume of calls this morning was not unexpected for us. What I didn’t expect was that I wouldn’t be able to get through to the number from outside of B.C."

Loh said there is one option that could have helped.

"I think perhaps VCH thinks older people are not tech savvy, but my dad is actually very handy with a computer," she said.

"He would have preferred an online registration system and maybe even with an online option, I would have been able to help him secure an appointment."

So far, only the Fraser Health Authority has an online booking option. Health Minister Adrian Dix said that will change, but not until April when more people become eligible.

"We do believe...that an online platform will help," he said.

Dix said he expected the bulk of vaccination appointments will be made online once the option is more widely available after April 12.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Fraser Health was the only health authority that had a "robust enough" online booking system at this point, and added developing a seamless online and phone system for bookings is a large project.

"Obviously we wanted it to be ready for weeks ago, but it does take time to get those things together," she said.

Loh hopes future online options will more allow families to help their loved ones with booking vaccination appointments even from afar.

For now, she said, her father will just keep trying.

"That’s all he can do," she said. "I told him turn on the TV, watch a good show, and just keep calling."