As we I wrote in February, I was lucky enough to get in vaccinated. But one of the continuing bottlenecks with getting more people vaccinated is the difficulty in finding out where and when they are available. Thus, today we offer an upbeat story about ingenuity. With a focus on making it easier to get a vaccine appointment

 

Nick Muerdter: Making It Easier to Get a Vaccine Appointment

We offer a big thank you to concerned citizen Nick Muerdter for his efforts to help resolve theCOVID-19 vaccine scheduling issues.

Nick Muerdter: Making It Easier to Get a Vaccine Appointment

According to Christina Maxouris,, reporting for CNN:

For weeks, Nick Muerdter heard coworkers’ concerns and frustrations as they tried to navigate complicated and evolving Covid-19 vaccination systems to land an appointment for their parents. Some sent around E-mails with helpful articles and brainstormed for a solution. “It seemed like people just spent a lot of time on these pharmacy Web sites,” said Muerdter. He is a 34-year-old software engineer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. “And those were particularly frustrating just because it was  you go to the Web site. You enter a zip code. You select a store. But then nope, no, no appointments. And then you need to try a different store or try a different zip code.”

In mid-February, Muerdter began creating a tool in his free time that scanned local pharmacies’ vaccine appointment availability. As well as gathered all that information in one place. Thereby allowing users to view nearby available appointments just by plugging in their zip code and how far they were willing to drive. Coworkers who had searched for weeks found appointments for eligible family members in just days, he said, with the help of the new Web site.

 

“This sort of tried to automate what you would have to do if you were to go the Web sites and enter every single zip code. Or check every single store in your area,” he said. And soon, what started off as a small side project became an “all consuming” job, outside his full-time job. Muerdter’s Web site now covers all 50 US states, plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. He calls it: Covid-19 Vaccine Spotter. [https://vaccinespotter.org]

 

Nick Muerdter: Making It Easier to Get a Vaccine Appointment

 

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