SAN ANTONIO — Saturday morning 9,000 free COVID-19 vaccine appointments were filled in just six minutes.
“The website is still not working or registrations are full,” a KENS 5 viewer said.
Many of the frustrated people KENS 5 spoke to on Saturday say they feel it was because the city's registration website crashed, but Dr. Anita Kurian with Metro Health says that wasn’t the case.
“If you were trying to register and not able to get in that is only for one reason, because all slots were taken up,” Dr. Kurian said.
Dr. Kurian says there were more than 11,000 people on the registration website trying to schedule appointments to receive vaccines at the Alamodome when it opened.
“I can tell you 100% that was open to everybody at 9 a.m.,” Dr. Kurian.
KENS 5 spoke to some people Monday at the Alamodome who were fortunate enough to get a time slot who say they were just as surprised as everyone else.
“I was just like oh my goodness, that quick?” San Antonio resident Norma Garcia said.
“I think the process itself wasn’t necessarily unfair. Maybe if you’re a little slower on the computer,” Anthony Garcia said.
They say they were just fortunate enough to be on at the right time, and that the thousands of people still looking to get vaccinated shouldn’t let this stop their search.
“Keep on trying and just be patient and they will get in,” Garcia said.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has asked Texas Governor Greg Abbott for more COVID-19 vaccines. The city says they’ll let the public know when more vaccines become available.