The DC government has named Microsoft to host the city’s pre-registration system for COVID-19 vaccination that will be launched next week.
DC officials were expected to make a choice between the software giant and the Ireland-based Accenture, known for providing digital, cloud and processing services.
“We continue to develop and test a pre-registration portal with Microsoft to alleviate the traffic issue that an appointment portal presents,” the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) said in a statement. “However, the demand will remain high, and we will continue to advocate for more vaccine.”
OCTO is currently working to improve the user experience on the vaccine appointment portal.
DC Health and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s government has been under fire after the portal crashed last week, causing issues for eligible residents attempting to register to make an appointment for coronavirus vaccination.
Residents reported similar troubles on Friday morning, when the website became activated after a delay, which stemmed from the traffic that was more than three times higher than last Friday’s peak, according to OCTO.
Over 4,000 appointments were reserved within the first 10 minutes of the activation, after applicants were routed to the Microsoft vaccine scheduling application.
The problematic vaccination portal that works on a first-come-first-served basis and is currently used by DC residents to make an appointment on Thursday and Friday mornings will no longer be available starting next week.
To learn more about the new online pre-registration system, click here.
DC to Launch Pre-Registration System for COVID-19 Vaccination