(WXYZ) – The vaccination race continues in southeast Michigan, despite a hiccup at Beaumont Health that led to the cancellation of nearly 3,000 appointments.
According to the health system, someone found a virtual gap in the planning system that allowed them to cut the line. However, while vaccination efforts are set to intensify in Wayne County this week.
Beaumont said someone found a weak stop in the epic software, in its electronic medical record system, and then shared an unauthorized path that allowed them to bypass the state’s priority vaccination group and make only one appointment. .
The health system discovered him over the weekend and shut him down, but 2,700 people had already scheduled their meetings, apparently without realizing that he was breaking the rules.
Beaumont said he would not interrupt ongoing vaccination efforts and notified the national Epic bureau to prevent this from happening elsewhere.
These appointments violate the ethical distribution framework that Beaumont created based on mandatory Michigan state guidelines. We are sorry that 2,700 people in our community have fallen victim to this unfortunate incident, “Beaumont Health’s senior vice president said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Wayne County said it was receiving nearly 8,400 doses of vaccine this week, nearly doubling the transport last week.
.@BeaumontHealth statement below.
These appointments violate Beaumont’s ethical distribution framework based on mandatory Michigan state guidelines. We are sorry that 2,700 people in our community have fallen victim to this unfortunate incident.@wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/MDddeWfhR5
– Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanzWXYZ) February 1, 2021
“While we are pleased to see that our allocation has increased, we are still concerned that we are not getting our fair and equitable distribution,” said county general manager Genelle Allen.
Supply was a problem for Wayne County, which made weekly deliveries ranging from less than 1,000 doses to about 5,000 doses. Executive Warren Evans said he has slowed down vaccination efforts for key workers and those over 65.
“I’d love to get it, but I don’t mind waiting my turn, I know it’s currently unavailable,” said Joan Bellemare of Plymouth.
Starting Tuesday, the new doses will help vaccinate teachers in K-12.
“We just want to make sure our residents of Wayne County get their fair share and fair share,” Allen added.
As for Beaumont, the health system said that anyone who made an appointment through this gap would be informed that their appointment had been canceled.