History will talk about you: An army of volunteers inocculated Ontario
December 14, 2021 7:22 AM Subscribe
It required both a lottery winner’s luck and a project manager’s organizational skills to figure out where and when you could get a shot. The province’s befuddling, temperamental online booking system often resembled a choose-your-own-adventure game where every choice seemed to be a dead end. The excitement and hope generated by the arrival of the vaccines gave way to anger around their deployment. Into this, stepped Andrew Young, creating VaccineHuntersCanada, the network of volunteers responsible for getting 1.2 million Canadians -- more than 3% of all Canadians -- vaccinated.
Vaccine Hunters also maintained an email address so that people who weren’t on social media could obtain information about available doses. There were emails that consisted of a single word: HELP or WHERE. In others, correspondents wrote their entire email in the subject line, or divulged their mailing addresses and medical history, complete with health card numbers.
It occurred to another vax hunte... that there were still others who weren’t even able to access email—not to mention Torontonians who don’t speak English, or work long hours, or maybe don’t own a computer or smartphone. So...she published tweets translated into several languages and printed up a bunch of flyers. She spent the next couple of days passing them out and posting them all over... She stood outside grocery stores and made announcements to people standing in line there.
VaccineHuntersCanada is active again, helping kids get vaccinated.
Vaccine Hunters also maintained an email address so that people who weren’t on social media could obtain information about available doses. There were emails that consisted of a single word: HELP or WHERE. In others, correspondents wrote their entire email in the subject line, or divulged their mailing addresses and medical history, complete with health card numbers.
It occurred to another vax hunte... that there were still others who weren’t even able to access email—not to mention Torontonians who don’t speak English, or work long hours, or maybe don’t own a computer or smartphone. So...she published tweets translated into several languages and printed up a bunch of flyers. She spent the next couple of days passing them out and posting them all over... She stood outside grocery stores and made announcements to people standing in line there.
VaccineHuntersCanada is active again, helping kids get vaccinated.
This is not a success story, it's a waste of volunteer time caused by the deliberate mismanagement of the pandemic by the Ontario government.
posted by Yowser at 7:34 AM on December 14, 2021 [20 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 7:34 AM on December 14, 2021 [20 favorites]
Not to mention a waste of everyone's time waiting in queues.
posted by Yowser at 7:36 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Yowser at 7:36 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
It can be both. We can be upset that the government tripped over its own feet on this and celebrate the people who stepped up to fill in the gap.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:37 AM on December 14, 2021 [40 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 7:37 AM on December 14, 2021 [40 favorites]
This is not a success story
Both can be true - DoFo and the Ontario government mismanaged things - and people stepped-up to fill the gaps - are you suggesting that they shouldn't have done so? I would rather have "someone" doing "something" than "nothing".
posted by rozcakj at 7:37 AM on December 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
Both can be true - DoFo and the Ontario government mismanaged things - and people stepped-up to fill the gaps - are you suggesting that they shouldn't have done so? I would rather have "someone" doing "something" than "nothing".
posted by rozcakj at 7:37 AM on December 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
It's like when a 10 year old runs a lemonade stand to raise funds for someone dying of cancer.
It's not heartwarming, it's horrifying.
posted by Yowser at 7:39 AM on December 14, 2021 [8 favorites]
It's not heartwarming, it's horrifying.
posted by Yowser at 7:39 AM on December 14, 2021 [8 favorites]
Yeah, I would much rather that 10 year old do absolutely nothing, but maybe post snark on the internet - because that is how communities and societies operate best - do nothing, but be horrified.
posted by rozcakj at 7:42 AM on December 14, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by rozcakj at 7:42 AM on December 14, 2021 [11 favorites]
It's like when a 10 year old runs a lemonade stand to raise funds for someone dying of cancer.
I think it's like when a 10 year old opens a chain of lemonade stores to raise funds for someone dying of cancer and raises enough money to buy them some crazy-expensive treatment that saves their life. Sure, OHIP should have paid for the treatment and Fuck Cancer and that whole situation is a nightmare. But we can still admire the 10 year old and be happy the person is alive.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:44 AM on December 14, 2021 [7 favorites]
I think it's like when a 10 year old opens a chain of lemonade stores to raise funds for someone dying of cancer and raises enough money to buy them some crazy-expensive treatment that saves their life. Sure, OHIP should have paid for the treatment and Fuck Cancer and that whole situation is a nightmare. But we can still admire the 10 year old and be happy the person is alive.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:44 AM on December 14, 2021 [7 favorites]
The government can improve - but, are you really saying that no one can help anyone else without it being the responsibility of the government?
So - either we are responsible for being able to impact meaningful change in our lives and those around us - or, we are not? Because I want a world filled with 10 year old optimists trying to make it a better place. Maybe they will grow-up and go into government...
posted by rozcakj at 7:45 AM on December 14, 2021 [5 favorites]
So - either we are responsible for being able to impact meaningful change in our lives and those around us - or, we are not? Because I want a world filled with 10 year old optimists trying to make it a better place. Maybe they will grow-up and go into government...
posted by rozcakj at 7:45 AM on December 14, 2021 [5 favorites]
There were countless acts of kindness, generosity and solidarity: community fridges, caremongering, free front-porch concerts, volunteer mask-making. Vaccine Hunters took all this benevolence and scaled it up—gloriously, heroically. As we all individually stumbled through the pandemic, they showed what we could achieve when we came together.
This is heartening to read. Thanks for posting this, If only I had a penguin...!
posted by Bella Donna at 8:02 AM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
This is heartening to read. Thanks for posting this, If only I had a penguin...!
posted by Bella Donna at 8:02 AM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
This made me weepy with happiness. Stoopid onions
posted by liminal_shadows at 8:06 AM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by liminal_shadows at 8:06 AM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
The government can improve - but, are you really saying that no one can help anyone else without it being the responsibility of the government?
Of course people can help each other without the government, but one of the main reasons the government exists is to provide administrative and logistical support in situations like this and the need for this (profoundly moving) effort is a massive failure on their part.
posted by an octopus IRL at 8:11 AM on December 14, 2021 [5 favorites]
Of course people can help each other without the government, but one of the main reasons the government exists is to provide administrative and logistical support in situations like this and the need for this (profoundly moving) effort is a massive failure on their part.
posted by an octopus IRL at 8:11 AM on December 14, 2021 [5 favorites]
I'm very glad that VaccineHuntersCanada exists. I found out about the early vaccine eligibility of my neighbourhood, and that TEHN/Michael Garron hospital was running clinics. The provincial information sources? Not so much use.
We got our booster shot last night in Thorncliffe Park. The staff looked worn out after a long day vaccinating kids and adults. We thanked them profusely.
posted by scruss at 8:19 AM on December 14, 2021 [6 favorites]
We got our booster shot last night in Thorncliffe Park. The staff looked worn out after a long day vaccinating kids and adults. We thanked them profusely.
posted by scruss at 8:19 AM on December 14, 2021 [6 favorites]
Andrew Young and his team maybe should get the Order of Canada for this
I agree with this so hard, without the maybe, and have told my MP so. They rock.
I think it is entirely possible to celebrate those who step in and do things while also holding government to account. Sure, it's not as compelling if more people had gotten sick and died, but that last was always the point.
I got my booster at a walk-in via Scarborough Public Health today and cancelled my later-in-the-week appointment. The local PHUs are also doing god's work and Vaccine Hunters filled the gap before the PHUs realized they were kinda on their own.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:50 AM on December 14, 2021 [8 favorites]
I agree with this so hard, without the maybe, and have told my MP so. They rock.
I think it is entirely possible to celebrate those who step in and do things while also holding government to account. Sure, it's not as compelling if more people had gotten sick and died, but that last was always the point.
I got my booster at a walk-in via Scarborough Public Health today and cancelled my later-in-the-week appointment. The local PHUs are also doing god's work and Vaccine Hunters filled the gap before the PHUs realized they were kinda on their own.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:50 AM on December 14, 2021 [8 favorites]
I can only speak to my experience in Ontario. I avoided the gov't website entirely except to make sure I was in the current age eligibility bracket. I then went to the website of my local pharmacy and booked through them. It was pretty painless, but I was okay waiting in queue for my turn a week or so later. They also put me on the schedule for my second shot at my appointment for the first, so I didn't have to worry about re-booking months down the line. I'll be doing the same thing in January for my third shot.
And, hey, if I'm lucky I'll end up getting one shot of each available vaccines.
posted by Clever User Name at 9:10 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
And, hey, if I'm lucky I'll end up getting one shot of each available vaccines.
posted by Clever User Name at 9:10 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
The vaccine hunters story has fascinated me and it also makes me mad, because if Quebec which usually manages to screw IT & healthcare projects can nail it, everybody should be able to, there should be no need for VH and the Ontario gov't should be properly roasted over this failure to lead.
But there was a need and I'm glad somebody stepped up, this was generous at a time we needed it. It's good they're getting recognized.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 9:29 AM on December 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
But there was a need and I'm glad somebody stepped up, this was generous at a time we needed it. It's good they're getting recognized.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 9:29 AM on December 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
Any time US Mefites think about moving to Canada, be aware the people of Ontario voted DoFo in on a wave of YouTube and Facebook dark money advertising.
He's a rich kid with a brother (Rob) and dad who were in municipal and provincial politics but had no experience himself apart from just 4 years in city hall. He'd dropped out of community college and has zero employment beyond working for his dad's label/sticker printing company. The family has long had associations with bikers and other drug dealing gangs and white supremacists.
There'll be another onslaught of advertising next election and I fully expect it to be effective.
posted by brachiopod at 9:38 AM on December 14, 2021 [8 favorites]
He's a rich kid with a brother (Rob) and dad who were in municipal and provincial politics but had no experience himself apart from just 4 years in city hall. He'd dropped out of community college and has zero employment beyond working for his dad's label/sticker printing company. The family has long had associations with bikers and other drug dealing gangs and white supremacists.
There'll be another onslaught of advertising next election and I fully expect it to be effective.
posted by brachiopod at 9:38 AM on December 14, 2021 [8 favorites]
My wife and I have volunteered for Vax Hunters over the last year or so.
Yeah, it's horrifying that the government absolutely fucked up the vaccine rollout but Andrew and Sabrina are heroes as far as I'm concerned. I did some video work but my wife has done so much more; tons of communications and social media and outreach stuff. It was nuts at the beginning of the rollout; it was tricky enough getting our own parents vaccinated but so many people were just tweeting things like "help." My wife phoned one terrified and confused couple in their 80s (who had replied to a VaxHunters tweet by tweeting out their home phone number) and talked them through 1) deleting that tweet and 2) getting them an appointment in their area.
Anyway, it's people helping people and I find no problem being happy about that while simultaneously being totally pissed off at how things were and are being handled on an "official" level.
posted by chococat at 9:57 AM on December 14, 2021 [14 favorites]
Yeah, it's horrifying that the government absolutely fucked up the vaccine rollout but Andrew and Sabrina are heroes as far as I'm concerned. I did some video work but my wife has done so much more; tons of communications and social media and outreach stuff. It was nuts at the beginning of the rollout; it was tricky enough getting our own parents vaccinated but so many people were just tweeting things like "help." My wife phoned one terrified and confused couple in their 80s (who had replied to a VaxHunters tweet by tweeting out their home phone number) and talked them through 1) deleting that tweet and 2) getting them an appointment in their area.
Anyway, it's people helping people and I find no problem being happy about that while simultaneously being totally pissed off at how things were and are being handled on an "official" level.
posted by chococat at 9:57 AM on December 14, 2021 [14 favorites]
I live in Toronto. I got shot #1 through my local pharmacy. For shot #2, I sent requests out to a bunch of pharmacies and got a ping from a Rexall in Yorkville. Shot #3 - recently completed - was at the Metro Convention Centre; vaccinations were happening right next door to a cannabis convention. Only in Canada!
Any time US Mefites think about moving to Canada, be aware the people of Ontario voted DoFo in on a wave of YouTube and Facebook dark money advertising.
To be fair to the people of Ontario, Doug Ford was handed the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party right before the election. He wasn't a known quantity outside of Toronto, and we Torontonians didn't have enough time to warn the rest of the province about him. Absolutely anybody would have won that election for the PCs, as voters were fed up with the Liberals.
However, I suspect that there will be lots of dark money advertising and shenanigans this time around. I pessimistically predict another Ford government, as the Liberals and NDP will split the opposition vote. I hope that I am wrong.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 10:22 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
Any time US Mefites think about moving to Canada, be aware the people of Ontario voted DoFo in on a wave of YouTube and Facebook dark money advertising.
To be fair to the people of Ontario, Doug Ford was handed the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party right before the election. He wasn't a known quantity outside of Toronto, and we Torontonians didn't have enough time to warn the rest of the province about him. Absolutely anybody would have won that election for the PCs, as voters were fed up with the Liberals.
However, I suspect that there will be lots of dark money advertising and shenanigans this time around. I pessimistically predict another Ford government, as the Liberals and NDP will split the opposition vote. I hope that I am wrong.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 10:22 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
However, I suspect that there will be lots of dark money advertising and shenanigans this time around. I pessimistically predict another Ford government, as the Liberals and NDP will split the opposition vote. I hope that I am wrong.
It's not so much the vote splitting that's the issue as the fact that both parties are horrifically uninspiring. The Liberals are still the Liberals, and have as their leader Steven Del Duca, a man who is a complete political non-entity to the general public except for his involvement as Minister of Transportation, where he was a fuckup. The NDP have Andrea Horwath, who is set to lose her fourth straight election and still somehow keep her job because the NDP are mostly a jobs program for a certain class of left-wing activist than they are a political party.
posted by mightygodking at 10:27 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's not so much the vote splitting that's the issue as the fact that both parties are horrifically uninspiring. The Liberals are still the Liberals, and have as their leader Steven Del Duca, a man who is a complete political non-entity to the general public except for his involvement as Minister of Transportation, where he was a fuckup. The NDP have Andrea Horwath, who is set to lose her fourth straight election and still somehow keep her job because the NDP are mostly a jobs program for a certain class of left-wing activist than they are a political party.
posted by mightygodking at 10:27 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
People outside of Ontario, how has your vaccine rollout and testing regime gone? In Ontario it has been, and continues to be, a mess. The systems have been up for at least a year now and when I had to book vaccines for my kids at the end of November it was just as frustrating an experience as it was when I booked appointments for myself, wife, and mother - signing up with multiple providers in the hope of getting something within a couple of weeks and not hearing back from most of them. I had to get my wife and son tested on the weekend and am still waiting for my local drug store to get back to me, after filling out their pre-screening form, but I was able to get an appointment at a hospital in Scarborough within 12 hours because some areas have a lot more excess capacity than others.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:35 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:35 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
Any time US Mefites think about moving to Canada
I mean, it's not perfect here, but we need more people and you all seem nice, come on up!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:41 AM on December 14, 2021
I mean, it's not perfect here, but we need more people and you all seem nice, come on up!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:41 AM on December 14, 2021
I'm grateful to the vaxx hunters they certainly helped me.
I remember Dougie getting pissed off at people comparing the booking process to the Hunger Games .
Then saying how easy it was for him.
Which provoked lots of laughter and reminders that not everyone had a personal assistant to do it for them.
The booking system was a shitshow.
I ended using this private site vaccine- ontario to book for myself and friends
You set an area to search , what vax , what dose, and it comes back with number of appointments available for each day and a direct link to book an appointment.
Didn't just search the large sites , but pharmacies , popups etc
It's what the provincial system should have been.
To be fair my local hospital had a system which was designed by someone's idiot nephew.It truly was awful.
The popup I went to get my second shot had a great booking system, fast easy to navigate. easy to see available times . A good one. It was run by another hospital system
posted by yyz at 11:48 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
I remember Dougie getting pissed off at people comparing the booking process to the Hunger Games .
Then saying how easy it was for him.
Which provoked lots of laughter and reminders that not everyone had a personal assistant to do it for them.
The booking system was a shitshow.
I ended using this private site vaccine- ontario to book for myself and friends
You set an area to search , what vax , what dose, and it comes back with number of appointments available for each day and a direct link to book an appointment.
Didn't just search the large sites , but pharmacies , popups etc
It's what the provincial system should have been.
To be fair my local hospital had a system which was designed by someone's idiot nephew.It truly was awful.
The popup I went to get my second shot had a great booking system, fast easy to navigate. easy to see available times . A good one. It was run by another hospital system
posted by yyz at 11:48 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
People outside of Ontario, how has your vaccine rollout and testing regime gone?
My experience with the vaccine rollout mirrors the experience of almost everybody I know, very easy to have an appointment once you were eligible. The one caveat was that they kept adding new spots, so if you came back half a day later you could get an appointment sooner than the initial one you got, but since you could cancel the other one online that was pretty easy to deal with.
They mercifully decided to keep all of that outside of the normal platform they use for taxes and the online medical history, so they were sparred the millions of people who forgot their username/password problem and we'll send that to you by mail (dead tree style). All you needed was the health insurance number and you could do bookings for your parents ;) (mine were able to do it themselves)
We recently got the quick at-home tests, so that should help next time our daughter is sick.
Initially it was a bit complicated, but when tests become more plentiful it was very easy to get an appointment.
Last summer discovered the CISS right next to us does saliva tests instead of nasopharyngeal swabs (well they do both), so now we've got a super efficient workflow for the frequent tests required because our daughter's daycare. We asked for tubes, so we got a stash of em at home, so when she's sick we pre-register at the testing clinic while she spits in the tube (it takes a bit of time for a child to produce 5 ml of saliva) then I drive there to drop the tube for testing. On a good day it's 10min drive each way + 10 min to do the paper work. It's still a day + to get the results, but its a very smooth experience...
The really complicated thing is getting a chest xray when your kid is coughing, most clinics are like "vade retro satana!" if you cough in the waiting room, and waiting 12hr at hospital emergency care unit for an xray, is no fun at all. There are "hot clinics" for this, but spots fill quickly and nobody seems to know where they are (we do now).
Now if somebody has a magic trick to make WFH efficient with a sick 3yo I'm all ears!
posted by WaterAndPixels at 11:57 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
My experience with the vaccine rollout mirrors the experience of almost everybody I know, very easy to have an appointment once you were eligible. The one caveat was that they kept adding new spots, so if you came back half a day later you could get an appointment sooner than the initial one you got, but since you could cancel the other one online that was pretty easy to deal with.
They mercifully decided to keep all of that outside of the normal platform they use for taxes and the online medical history, so they were sparred the millions of people who forgot their username/password problem and we'll send that to you by mail (dead tree style). All you needed was the health insurance number and you could do bookings for your parents ;) (mine were able to do it themselves)
We recently got the quick at-home tests, so that should help next time our daughter is sick.
Initially it was a bit complicated, but when tests become more plentiful it was very easy to get an appointment.
Last summer discovered the CISS right next to us does saliva tests instead of nasopharyngeal swabs (well they do both), so now we've got a super efficient workflow for the frequent tests required because our daughter's daycare. We asked for tubes, so we got a stash of em at home, so when she's sick we pre-register at the testing clinic while she spits in the tube (it takes a bit of time for a child to produce 5 ml of saliva) then I drive there to drop the tube for testing. On a good day it's 10min drive each way + 10 min to do the paper work. It's still a day + to get the results, but its a very smooth experience...
The really complicated thing is getting a chest xray when your kid is coughing, most clinics are like "vade retro satana!" if you cough in the waiting room, and waiting 12hr at hospital emergency care unit for an xray, is no fun at all. There are "hot clinics" for this, but spots fill quickly and nobody seems to know where they are (we do now).
Now if somebody has a magic trick to make WFH efficient with a sick 3yo I'm all ears!
posted by WaterAndPixels at 11:57 AM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I have to say, my issues with everything else about our pandemic response aside, barring a few minor bugs here and there (and the weird issue w changing location for a second dose), the technical part of booking vaccines in Quebec has been pretty smooth. It took me about 5 minutes to sign my mother up, while a friend's sister was 50,000th in line to sign up her parents in Ontario.
I also used the system to sign up for a flu shot, which was equally as smooth.
posted by jeather at 12:02 PM on December 14, 2021
I also used the system to sign up for a flu shot, which was equally as smooth.
posted by jeather at 12:02 PM on December 14, 2021
Even though I am an Ontario resident, I got my vaccines in BC. There was a bit of churn, because the system for booking vaccines through the provincial vaccination centres was different than the system for booking vaccines through the pharmacies, so when the call came out for 40+ to get AZ, there was a massive run on pharmacies to try to get appointments. Both Rexall and Shoppers Drug Mart had reasonably good registration systems for managing that, but they took a couple of days to really get back to you after your initial expression of interest, so then some people took to phoning smaller pharmacies to try to get in. That worked, but if you weren't up for that, it was also largely unnecessary -- the online reservations for the big pharmacies were processed reasonably quickly and smoothly.
There was another bit of churn when they finally announced that we, the gen-X AZ recipients -- could get our second doses, and that they didn't have to be AZ again. Some people went out and got AZ right away because they could get AZ right away and some other people waited to try to get Pfizer or Moderna, but it really wasn't clear how quickly you were going to get on the list for Pfizer or Moderna. Again, it was just a couple of days wait, and not a big deal -- but you had no idea at the time.
It seems slightly insane that there wasn't -- and still isn't -- a centralized system for making appointments regardless of the type of vaccine or the setting you intended to get it in, at at least the provincial level. There was a registration system for updates on your eligibility but that didn't lead directly to appointment registrations.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:23 PM on December 14, 2021
There was another bit of churn when they finally announced that we, the gen-X AZ recipients -- could get our second doses, and that they didn't have to be AZ again. Some people went out and got AZ right away because they could get AZ right away and some other people waited to try to get Pfizer or Moderna, but it really wasn't clear how quickly you were going to get on the list for Pfizer or Moderna. Again, it was just a couple of days wait, and not a big deal -- but you had no idea at the time.
It seems slightly insane that there wasn't -- and still isn't -- a centralized system for making appointments regardless of the type of vaccine or the setting you intended to get it in, at at least the provincial level. There was a registration system for updates on your eligibility but that didn't lead directly to appointment registrations.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:23 PM on December 14, 2021
I booked in Ontario through our regional health unit, and the process was simple and easy, and I got my shots at the city's main inoculation clinic. Now, we were slow to get bookings, but that's because we aren't in ALL MIGHTY TORONTO, which has first dibs on everything.
I didn't have to touch the Ontario-wide system until I needed my vaccine passport. For whatever reason, I had no trouble downloading the passports and QR codes for some elderly relatives but whenever I tried to put in my health card number, I kept getting told my OHIP card was invalid. It's not. It doesn't expire for years and I was entering the correct number. So each time (first the passport and then the QR code) I had to get on the phone and explain that my card wasn't being accepted. The last time (earlier this week), the customer service rep was very nice and tried to be helpful, but even when she was discussing my situation with her back-end tech support, the best answer they could give me is "it must a be a problem with the server, and nobody is going to be bothered to fix it, so if you need anything else, don't bother with the website, just phone us first."
posted by sardonyx at 12:54 PM on December 14, 2021
I didn't have to touch the Ontario-wide system until I needed my vaccine passport. For whatever reason, I had no trouble downloading the passports and QR codes for some elderly relatives but whenever I tried to put in my health card number, I kept getting told my OHIP card was invalid. It's not. It doesn't expire for years and I was entering the correct number. So each time (first the passport and then the QR code) I had to get on the phone and explain that my card wasn't being accepted. The last time (earlier this week), the customer service rep was very nice and tried to be helpful, but even when she was discussing my situation with her back-end tech support, the best answer they could give me is "it must a be a problem with the server, and nobody is going to be bothered to fix it, so if you need anything else, don't bother with the website, just phone us first."
posted by sardonyx at 12:54 PM on December 14, 2021
Oh wait, the vaccine passport app. There Quebec has . . . not done well.
posted by jeather at 1:01 PM on December 14, 2021
posted by jeather at 1:01 PM on December 14, 2021
Any time US Mefites think about moving to Canada, be aware the people of Ontario voted DoFo in on a wave of YouTube and Facebook dark money advertising.
53% voter turnout is important to remember.
posted by Dark Messiah at 1:49 PM on December 14, 2021
53% voter turnout is important to remember.
posted by Dark Messiah at 1:49 PM on December 14, 2021
Jeather, I’d forgotten they bungled bits of the security around website serving QR codes, but the app itself works. Was there anything else? I mean it’s hard to screw up, it’s glorified QR code display , wish it would integrate with the wallet app though.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 2:01 PM on December 14, 2021
posted by WaterAndPixels at 2:01 PM on December 14, 2021
Have you had to update it? The only way to update it is to scan an image with your camera, so if you, eg, download one from then link within the app, you can't then use it within the app itself.
Also you cannot reorder the proofs, should you have multiple.
I tried the Verif app when it came out, and THAT doesn't work right if you have changed font sizes, though possibly they since fixed it.
posted by jeather at 2:16 PM on December 14, 2021
Also you cannot reorder the proofs, should you have multiple.
I tried the Verif app when it came out, and THAT doesn't work right if you have changed font sizes, though possibly they since fixed it.
posted by jeather at 2:16 PM on December 14, 2021
The app or the proof? But no I didn’t update anything yet, 1st time I just scanned the code in the pdf I received when I got vaccinated. And my so just scanned my phone with had both codes with her app to get both our codes in her phone, it was easy.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 2:35 PM on December 14, 2021
posted by WaterAndPixels at 2:35 PM on December 14, 2021
Got my shots in BC. No problem. Slated for a booster tomorrow. Very simple on-line sign-up. (I didn't try the pharmacy method.)
posted by CCBC at 3:19 PM on December 14, 2021
posted by CCBC at 3:19 PM on December 14, 2021
We were personally lucky because our local GP/Health-Clinic got us on a queue that wasn't fussy.
But hey don't get me started about Ontario politics, it's frustrating...
- moronic Conservative Premier shuffled his way into the job on a wave of backlash/skulduggery
- moderate Liberal post-backlash candidate is some guy
- nice but rather lame NDP candidate keeps loosing elections repeatedly and obstructing the future
All we need is a reasonable alternative to the awful incumbent Premier in next year's election. There's a long list of issues indicating why he is awful which are predictable. He should really be voted out, but the opposition leadership seems fairly mediocre.
posted by ovvl at 4:30 PM on December 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
But hey don't get me started about Ontario politics, it's frustrating...
- moronic Conservative Premier shuffled his way into the job on a wave of backlash/skulduggery
- moderate Liberal post-backlash candidate is some guy
- nice but rather lame NDP candidate keeps loosing elections repeatedly and obstructing the future
All we need is a reasonable alternative to the awful incumbent Premier in next year's election. There's a long list of issues indicating why he is awful which are predictable. He should really be voted out, but the opposition leadership seems fairly mediocre.
posted by ovvl at 4:30 PM on December 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
“I used to think of the internet as something that separates us,” says one volunteer, a 32-year-old actuary named Talia Pankewycz. “Vaccine Hunters has shown how people and the internet can come together for good.”
That's not nothing these days.
It's an absolute scandal that this was necessary, but that's not on them. They've been doing what they can in a way that highlights the rich gumbo of incompetence and rotten ideology that is the current Ontario government, and like others I'm not terribly impressed with what the opposition is offering these days - it just seems like they're whistling past a lot of low-hanging fruit.
The flip side of this is that the provincial vaccine booking system in Ontario is the product of a sole-sourced contract that the province engaged in with Deloitte (I don't believe the dollar value of that has been fully disclosed yet?). It'll be years too late whenever the story of that cockup is told, but it says something about what a mess that was that a bunch of volunteers was able to figure this out on the fly.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:52 PM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
That's not nothing these days.
It's an absolute scandal that this was necessary, but that's not on them. They've been doing what they can in a way that highlights the rich gumbo of incompetence and rotten ideology that is the current Ontario government, and like others I'm not terribly impressed with what the opposition is offering these days - it just seems like they're whistling past a lot of low-hanging fruit.
The flip side of this is that the provincial vaccine booking system in Ontario is the product of a sole-sourced contract that the province engaged in with Deloitte (I don't believe the dollar value of that has been fully disclosed yet?). It'll be years too late whenever the story of that cockup is told, but it says something about what a mess that was that a bunch of volunteers was able to figure this out on the fly.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:52 PM on December 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
He should really be voted out, but the opposition leadership seems fairly mediocre.
I really wish the Liberals had selected Mitzie Hunter. She at least has a seat. Del Duca is so low-profile the Cons and the NDP have to call it the Del Duca-Wynne Liberals to score a hit. Although I’m planning to see if I can help Felicia Samuel’s campaign so.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:18 PM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
I really wish the Liberals had selected Mitzie Hunter. She at least has a seat. Del Duca is so low-profile the Cons and the NDP have to call it the Del Duca-Wynne Liberals to score a hit. Although I’m planning to see if I can help Felicia Samuel’s campaign so.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:18 PM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm in the US, but myself, my partner, and many people I know were able to find and get vaccines thanks to similar groups, mostly operating via Facebook. It's both a tremendous credit to the people who volunteered, and a huge FU to the broken and dysfunctional public systems that made it necessary for even highly educated, technology-savvy people to need help, much less people in less privileged situations.
I mean, here we are, two years into this, and for the booster shots recently my older and more vulnerable relatives still needed help accessing the system.
My wife phoned one terrified and confused couple in their 80s (who had replied to a VaxHunters tweet by tweeting out their home phone number) and talked them through 1) deleting that tweet and 2) getting them an appointment in their area.
Stories like this make me tear up. It shouldn't have been so hard.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:51 PM on December 14, 2021 [6 favorites]
I mean, here we are, two years into this, and for the booster shots recently my older and more vulnerable relatives still needed help accessing the system.
My wife phoned one terrified and confused couple in their 80s (who had replied to a VaxHunters tweet by tweeting out their home phone number) and talked them through 1) deleting that tweet and 2) getting them an appointment in their area.
Stories like this make me tear up. It shouldn't have been so hard.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:51 PM on December 14, 2021 [6 favorites]
The government program in BC was so easy (online or on the phone) I didn't even consider using a pharmacy. The system sent appointment reminders and notified me when I could make my second and third appointments via email and SMS. Didn't require anything but Health number and name though obviously the reminders required email/phone number.
There was one annoying bobble when the physical vaccination space (sports centre) was too hot to habitate during the heat dome and I needed to wrangle a ride up the hill to the alternative location. Would have been nice if I was notified of that before I biked over.
posted by Mitheral at 7:44 PM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
There was one annoying bobble when the physical vaccination space (sports centre) was too hot to habitate during the heat dome and I needed to wrangle a ride up the hill to the alternative location. Would have been nice if I was notified of that before I biked over.
posted by Mitheral at 7:44 PM on December 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
I agree that the sheer breadth and depth of the Ontario government's incompetency on this file should not in any way take away from the efforts of Vaccine Hunters Canada. For one, Vaccine Hunters Canada helped out the entire country, not just Ontario (though, more on this later). Second, even if it WAS just Ontario, I'm glad someone stepped up to handle this challenge. Yes, it should have been the government; no, private citizens shouldn't have had to build this crucial infrastructure in the first place. But the void could very well have been filled by no one, or it could've been filled poorly. Choices were made, effort was expended, to ensure that would not happen. And for that and much more, the people behind Vaccine Hunters Canada deserve our thanks and honours.
Okay, back to the "not just Ontario" thing, a funny story: on the Vaccine Hunters Canada Discord (a very handy resource when it was still running), you had to indicate which province you were from so you could get access to the right channels. This is generally done in Discords by responding with a specific emote to an announcement post, which a bot then reads and assigns privileges to you accordingly. This means the number of people registering for a specific province was publicly visible to everyone. Now, this is the Discord, which the vast majority of people probably did not join because they were content to read the (also very helpful) tweets coming from the account instead, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.
When I checked it on a whim sometime in May or June, when I was still looking for the shot myself (or just afterwards), there were maybe 1000 for BC, a few hundred for Alberta and Quebec, and smaller numbers for the other provinces. Ontario? 18,000 people.
For anyone wondering how much worse it was in Ontario versus the other provinces, that's your answer. We don't have 18 times the population of any other province, far from it.
posted by chrominance at 10:56 AM on December 15, 2021 [8 favorites]
Okay, back to the "not just Ontario" thing, a funny story: on the Vaccine Hunters Canada Discord (a very handy resource when it was still running), you had to indicate which province you were from so you could get access to the right channels. This is generally done in Discords by responding with a specific emote to an announcement post, which a bot then reads and assigns privileges to you accordingly. This means the number of people registering for a specific province was publicly visible to everyone. Now, this is the Discord, which the vast majority of people probably did not join because they were content to read the (also very helpful) tweets coming from the account instead, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.
When I checked it on a whim sometime in May or June, when I was still looking for the shot myself (or just afterwards), there were maybe 1000 for BC, a few hundred for Alberta and Quebec, and smaller numbers for the other provinces. Ontario? 18,000 people.
For anyone wondering how much worse it was in Ontario versus the other provinces, that's your answer. We don't have 18 times the population of any other province, far from it.
posted by chrominance at 10:56 AM on December 15, 2021 [8 favorites]
Now that boosters are going to be opened up to everyone 18+ I have a feeling that the Vaccine Hunters are about to get a lot busier.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:49 PM on December 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:49 PM on December 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
One of the things that a friend who works in an independent pharmacy pointed out was that, day-to-day and week-to-week, they got absolutely zero heads up from the province on when vaccine doses were arriving. It was a scheduling shitshow.
It's one of the things that led to pharmacies putting out "Hey, we have extra doses left today - walk-ins welcome" signs, and made the work of Vaccine Hunters extra-crucial. They were amplifying availability at independent pharmacies that didn't have the time or wherewithal to advertise it beyond a sign on the door or a sandwich board on the street.
Because the other thing independent pharmacies had to do was actually be pharmacies at the same time, and some people need their prescriptions filled to stay alive for non-COVID reasons. Staff and pharmacists needed to do that as well, on top of administering vaccines.
They had no time to be their own in-house communications or social media team. Vaccine Hunters filled a huge gap. And they will continue doing so, because here we go again.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:00 PM on December 15, 2021 [4 favorites]
It's one of the things that led to pharmacies putting out "Hey, we have extra doses left today - walk-ins welcome" signs, and made the work of Vaccine Hunters extra-crucial. They were amplifying availability at independent pharmacies that didn't have the time or wherewithal to advertise it beyond a sign on the door or a sandwich board on the street.
Because the other thing independent pharmacies had to do was actually be pharmacies at the same time, and some people need their prescriptions filled to stay alive for non-COVID reasons. Staff and pharmacists needed to do that as well, on top of administering vaccines.
They had no time to be their own in-house communications or social media team. Vaccine Hunters filled a huge gap. And they will continue doing so, because here we go again.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:00 PM on December 15, 2021 [4 favorites]
Apparently my local health unit has absolutely ZERO appointments available until at least mid-February. I don't know how they expect people to get their booster if there are no opportunities to do so. This means I've swung from impressed to very not impressed.
posted by sardonyx at 4:44 PM on December 18, 2021
posted by sardonyx at 4:44 PM on December 18, 2021
As I am not 60+ and they haven't posted what counts as a chronic condition, I'm not even sure I am eligible for a booster. (I have an appointment in January, which I made when it was a six month delay as my second shot was the end of June, and I guess I will see then.)
posted by jeather at 5:31 AM on December 19, 2021
posted by jeather at 5:31 AM on December 19, 2021
In what is surely both cause for relief as well as a troubling sign, the Vaccine Hunters Canada Discord will be opening back up at 6pm (I suspect Eastern) today after going dormant at the beginning of September.
posted by chrominance at 9:18 AM on December 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by chrominance at 9:18 AM on December 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
And this morning at 8 AM the provincial booking site gives this:
Your number in line: 6493333
Number of users in line ahead of you: 100501
Expected arrival time on the website: more than an hour EST
Your estimated wait time is: more than an hour
posted by yyz at 5:31 AM on December 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
Your number in line: 6493333
Number of users in line ahead of you: 100501
Expected arrival time on the website: more than an hour EST
Your estimated wait time is: more than an hour
posted by yyz at 5:31 AM on December 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
All the Quebec pharmacy websites are down for the count re getting rapid tests.
posted by jeather at 6:35 AM on December 20, 2021
posted by jeather at 6:35 AM on December 20, 2021
Your estimated wait time is: more than an hour
Yup, that was mine -- I'm in now (after about an hour) and as bookings at locations I can feasibly get to in Toronto come up, clicking on them yields "this appointment is not longer available."
Still clickin'...
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:31 AM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yup, that was mine -- I'm in now (after about an hour) and as bookings at locations I can feasibly get to in Toronto come up, clicking on them yields "this appointment is not longer available."
Still clickin'...
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:31 AM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
A few selections from my playlist today:
Waiting Around to Die - Townes Van Zandt
Waiting in Vain - Bob Marley
Waiting Room - Fugazi
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:35 AM on December 20, 2021
Waiting Around to Die - Townes Van Zandt
Waiting in Vain - Bob Marley
Waiting Room - Fugazi
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:35 AM on December 20, 2021
Some friends on my group chat tried booking very early this morning. One was able to get one for Jan 9 and one was able to get one later this week in Oshawa but I'm not even trying for another couple of weeks or until there are more pop-ups or local pharmacies get some supply. As long as the vaccines are getting into people's arms I'm not too particular about it being mine or someone else's.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:34 AM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:34 AM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
And then there was the 'blink and you'll miss it' Ontario rapid test rollout.
posted by scruss at 12:19 PM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 12:19 PM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
I was easily able to get an appointment this morning for January 5th in Ottawa. Yesterday, it was apparently crazy go nuts and no one could get anything within an hour of Ottawa, but at least this morning, appointments are very easy to come by and the wait time to get onto the portal was less than 5 minutes. I hadn't even found my health card yet by the time I was able to register.
The rapid test distribution on the other hand ...
posted by jacquilynne at 6:17 AM on December 21, 2021
The rapid test distribution on the other hand ...
posted by jacquilynne at 6:17 AM on December 21, 2021
More capacity is being added every day so if you already have an appointment but it's for some time in January you can probably get a much earlier one if you take a look every day. On the group chat friends were able to get appointments this week and next week by checking again yesterday.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:06 PM on December 22, 2021
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:06 PM on December 22, 2021
Still no appointments in the regional clinics, and the calendar only goes to February 24. I could maybe try the pharmacy route, but I'm trying to book for three seniors who don't really feel comfortable with the way the local Shopper's is packing people into the waiting area like sardines. Then I can worry about booking my own appointment. I tried to call in over the phone and after waiting on hold for ages, I was given the option to press one if I wanted a call back sometime in the next 24 hours. That was well over 36 hours ago, and I haven't heard a peep.
posted by sardonyx at 5:08 PM on December 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by sardonyx at 5:08 PM on December 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
We got boosters at a pop-up city-run clinic at a mosque in Ottawa today. The only way we found out about it was through someone in our neighbourhood who heard about it from someone else, and you had to go down in person to get a ticket for your time later in the afternoon. I’m glad it is done now, but it is kind of a ridiculous and Byzantine way of getting people immunized. You are either in the know, or you wait.
posted by fimbulvetr at 5:39 PM on December 23, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by fimbulvetr at 5:39 PM on December 23, 2021 [2 favorites]
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This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
The Beaverton wrote and And I kind of think they're right...Andrew Young and his team maybe should get the Order of Canada for this.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:32 AM on December 14, 2021 [13 favorites]