PHOENIX – Maricopa County has officially transitioned to Phase 1B for coronavirus vaccines and a massive vaccination site opened in Glendale on Monday, but the push to get more Arizonans vaccinated is not without its problems.
At around 6 a.m. Monday, Maricopa County health officials said that despite an upgrade to handle more website traffic, their servers couldn’t keep up with demand. Many people said they could not access the website and register for Phase 1B vaccinations because the website was down.
⚠️ The COVID-19 vaccine page has been overwhelmed by people. Don’t try to visit the site until after 6:40 AM.
– Public health (@Maricopahealth) January 11, 2021
Around the same time, Arizonans began logging into the Arizona Department of Health Services website to register for vaccine appointments at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, which should be able to process thousands of vaccines a day once fully operational. However, due to mixed messaging, those who could register to get vaccinated did not see State Farm Stadium as an option.
RELATED: How to Apply for the Phase 1B Group of COVID-19 Vaccine in Maricopa County
Additionally, for those who could register, some could only consider the earliest appointments as weeks into the future.
ADHS later clarified Monday morning that registration would be available from 9 a.m. Monday for those in Phase 1B, and that appointment times at State Farm Stadium would be available for Tuesday, January 12 and beyond.
For clarification: registration for the @AmsterdamArt State Farm Arena site opens at 9am; Registration for @Maricopahealth opened at 6am and they were experiencing high traffic volume issues and site was down.
– AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) January 11, 2021
Not everyone in Stage 1A has been vaccinated, so it’s important to note that those included in 1A are still at the top of the priority list and may also sign up for future appointments.
ABC15 reporters heard from viewers who also raised other concerns, including the fact that the vaccination sign-up website was not mobile or tablet-friendly, forcing the public to use a laptop or desktop computer. ADHS said the problem was resolved just before 10 a.m.
Those who don’t have access to a computer can register by phone, but some are already reporting long waiting times, according to ABC15 news partner KTAR. Some also report “busy tones” and reports that no one can help over the phone.
ADHS urges those experiencing registration issues to continue to try while updates are made to the site.
Despite hours of trouble rolling out the vaccination registration link, ADHS says 10,000 people were able to register for appointments from 10 a.m. Appointment times for Tuesday were available from 10:30 am
Maricopa County says the appointments at the distribution points are fully booked for Monday, but they are working on adding additional vaccination sites. Click here for the latest information on the Maricopa County Department’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Information about ADHS vaccination can be found here.