Microsoft System Blamed for N.J. Vaccine-Booking Glitches
- Site crashes, lost bookings amid company push into health
- ‘Addressing some technical issues,’ software maker says
New Jersey's Governor Phil Murphy tours the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center Covid-19 vaccination site in Edison, New Jersey on Jan. 15.
Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich/BloombergFive weeks of stumbles by Microsoft Corp. on New Jersey’s Covid-19 vaccine-booking software have left the state pushing for daily fixes on almost every part of the system and doubting it will ever operate as intended, according to members of Governor Phil Murphy’s administration.
The glitches -- and attempted fixes that forced one megasite to go off-line temporarily -- have led New Jersey to rely more on the county- and hospital-operated websites that are working well and have helped schedule more than 1.2 million doses in the most densely-populated state in the country. Officials say those systems are successfully booking thousands of people. They fear the state’s booking portal, run on Microsoft software and functioning for just a limited number of residents, won’t withstand broad demand as eligibility eventually is opened to millions of more people.