Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

As Hospitals Roll Out COVID-19 Vaccines, Health Care Workers Describe Chaos And Anger

As Hospitals Roll Out COVID-19 Vaccines, Health Care Workers Describe Chaos And Anger

Problems included a glitch with a sign-up app and some staff jumping to the front of the line ahead of medical workers with more exposure to the coronavirus.
Health care workers across the country have started receiving COVID-19 vaccines, but doctors and nurses at some of the nation's top hospitals are raising the alarm, charging that vaccine distribution has been unfair and a chaotic "free-for-all."

At hospitals in Massachusetts, New York, Arizona, California and elsewhere, medical professionals say that those with the most exposure to COVID-19 patients are not always the first to get vaccinated. And others who have little or no contact with COVID-19 patients have received vaccinations.

"It definitely feels a little bit like a slap in the face," said Jennifer DeVincent, who has been a neonatal intensive care unit nurse in the prestigious Mass General Brigham hospital system for 16 years and attends deliveries with coronavirus-positive mothers.

At Mass General Brigham, the plan was for hospital staff to use an app to sign up for vaccinations. Everyone is sorted into different "waves" meant to prioritize those most at risk. However, the plan relies on the honor code, and internal emails obtained by NPR instruct employees to "self-police."

There were problems from the beginning. The app crashed when too many people tried to sign up at once. Then, when it was up and running again, all the appointments were snapped up within minutes. DeVincent was taking care of a patient the entire time appointments were available. Some night shift workers at Mass General Brigham woke up to learn they had slept through the announcement of the new system and the sign-up windows.

"It turned into somewhat of a free-for-all," DeVincent said. "Those that work the most have had the hardest time getting an appointment because you can't always log on at that exact moment."

DeVincent said her frustration turned to anger when she realized exactly who was getting the shots: Some of the first to be vaccinated were managers, coordinators and others who do not do hands-on patient care.

"It makes me feel awful that anyone feels anything less than fully valued," said Paul Biddinger, medical director for emergency preparedness at Mass General Brigham. He acknowledged the challenges and miscommunications, saying they should have managed expectations better given the limited number of doses available. However, he said, the honor code is necessary for an organization with a staff of more than 80,000.

"It's actually relatively complex to figure out who is working where," he said. "We have staff who move among our hospitals and work in different roles in different hospitals."

Biddinger has been going through the data and said it's relatively rare for people to jump the line and usually a misunderstanding. He said they're working on making the guidelines clearer and fixing issues in the app.

While vaccine rollout has gone smoothly at many hospitals, similar challenges have arisen at places such as New York-Presbyterian and Stanford Medicine.

In Arizona's Maricopa County, the county government is responsible for distribution. While the county tried to survey health care workers and prioritize them based on various risk factors, many have scrambled to find workarounds. Rumor proliferated about a link that was supposed to be private but let anyone get an appointment. Same with a phone number. One doctor, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, called the Maricopa County rollout "a bit disorganized and ripe for exploitation."

In New York, a doctor affiliated with Northwell Health conducts 10 or more COVID-19 tests a day on patients but has not been able to get a vaccine appointment.

"It's really very upsetting," said the doctor, who also requested anonymity for fear her residency privileges would be taken away. "Throughout this whole pandemic, I've never felt so dejected as I do right now."

The doctor said Northwell – a network with 23 hospitals and 74,000 employees – has not been sharing much information. The main communication, the doctor said, is: " 'Wait your turn, and you'll get invited when you get invited.' "

While waiting, the doctor saw colleagues, such as radiologists, posting vaccine selfies on social media. "Many of these physicians are people who either work remotely or work in fields where they are not treating COVID patients every day," the doctor said. "There really seems to be no rhyme or reason to who is getting vaccinated."

But Mark Jarrett pushed back, insisting there's a detailed rollout plan. As the chief quality officer and deputy chief medical officer at Northwell, he said, "This is a monumental task that we've never had to do before."

He said they are taking into account not just who has the most exposure to COVID-19 patients, but a lot of other factors as well. For example, he said, a hospital may have only two interventional radiologists. Not wanting them both to fall sick, they may get moved up in the line. Or, since the vaccine can have side effects that might make someone miss work the next day, Northwell is making sure not to vaccinate a whole unit at one time. Its system is also taking into account how bad the outbreak is in a hospital's particular area.

Jarrett acknowledged the system hasn't been perfect. And, he said, they are trying to adjust as they learn about the issues. But the doctor affiliated with Northwell said each day treating COVID-19 patients is stressful – and knowing there's a vaccine available, but not being able to access it, just adds to the challenges facing front-line workers.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×