Health
Computer programmer shares workaround to Alberta COVID-19 vaccine booking issues – Global News
UPDATE: As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, it appeared the website had been changed and the workaround was no longer effective.
Hundreds of people said they were able to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments for their loved ones Wednesday thanks to a workaround published online by a computer programmer.
It all started Wednesday morning when Kory Mathewson‘s family logged on to the Alberta Health Services website to book appointments for Grandma Mufty and Grandpa Bill.
The first appointment was booked after a few tries but getting the second was more difficult.
Like so many other Albertans, once logging onto the website and putting in the postal code, the website stopped working for Mathewson.
Being a computer programmer and developer, Mathewson checked out the coding of the website.
He discovered that he could alter the code and bypass the postal code section, going straight to the patient information form.
By doing so, Mathewson was quickly able to book an appointment.
Upon getting the confirmation, he describes feeling immediate relief.
“It’s exactly that. It’s like: ‘Finally! I don’t have to worry.’”
After double checking the process and simplifying it for a less tech-savvy audience, Mathewson posted the workaround to Twitter in hopes of helping others do the same.
“It was like, ‘OK, how do we make this as easy as possible for people?’ You know, people that don’t know code,” Mathewson told Global News.
Within hours, hundreds of Albertans responded saying the hack had worked for them and they were also able to book appointments for their loved ones.
However, as of 7 p.m. it appeared the website had been changed and the workaround was no longer effective.
In a series of messages on Twitter Wednesday night, AHS said it had “put additional queuing software in place to help manage the volume of users on the AHS COVID-19 immunization booking tool.
“This software will indicate an estimated wait time, and where each individual is in the booking queue to give people the option to continue booking, or to try again later.”
As of 7 p.m., 43,000 eligible seniors 75 and over had booked appointments using the immunization tool and 811 since it went live at 8 a.m., AHS said.
A spokesperson for AHS told Global News that the queueing system has “nothing to do with the workaround” shared on Twitter.
A Twitter user created a video walking through the steps to show others how to do it in a visual way.
“It was a real community effort and all the different people kind of pulled together to make this solution happen,” said Mathewson.
The former Edmontonian believes Alberta Health Services could use the tool to fix the delays for all Albertans.
“In my opinion, this seems like a relatively straightforward fix.”
“I’m more than happy to be connected with the people at AHS to make this happen,” Mathewson said. “Part of the reason that I’m here is to sort of communicate that there are great developers like myself that are ready to help make this possible and make this as frictionless and as easy as possible for all Albertans.”
In a statement, Alberta Health Services confirmed the appointments booked using the workaround were official but that “this is not a permanent solution.”
“The AHS online immunization booking tool continues to experience extremely high volumes and our IT teams are working to find a way to make the process as fast and efficient as possible for everyone.”
In the meantime, Mathewson and his brother Kyle say they’ll continue to help others looking to book appointments.
“I did this for my grandparents but really, this is for all the grandparents of Alberta,” said Mathewson.
“There’s a lot of people that want this and want to be safe. And hopefully this gets them one step closer and takes away that, ‘when is it going to happen?’”
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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Alberta Health Services (AHS) has confirmed a case of measles in Edmonton, and is advising the public that the individual was out in public while infectious.
Measles is an extremely contagious disease that is spread easily through the air, and can only be prevented through immunization.
AHS says individuals who were in the following locations during the specified dates and times, may have been exposed to measles.
- April 16
- Edmonton International Airport, international arrivals and baggage claim area — between 3:20 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- April 20
- Stollery Children’s Hospital Emergency Department — between 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- April 22
- 66th Medical Clinic (13635 66 St NW Edmonton) — between 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Pharmacy 66 (13637 66 St NW Edmonton) — between 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- April 23
- Stollery Children’s Hospital Emergency Department — between 4:40 a.m. to 9:33 a.m.
AHS says anyone who attended those locations during those times is at risk of developing measles if they’ve not had two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine.
Those who have not had two doses, who are pregnant, under one year of age, or have a weakened immune system are at greatest risk of getting measles and should contact Health Link at 1-877-720-0707.
Symptoms
Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.3° C or higher, cough, runny nose, and/or red eyes, a red blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after fever starts, beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down the body and then to the arms and legs.
If you have any of these symptoms stay home and call Health Link.
In Alberta, measles vaccine is offered, free of charge, through Alberta’s publicly funded immunization program. Children in Alberta typically receive their first dose of measles vaccine at 12 months of age, and their second dose at 18 months of age.
Health
U.S. tightens rules for dairy cows a day after bird flu virus fragments found in pasteurized milk samples – Toronto Star
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Infected cows were already prohibited from being transported out of state, but that was based on the physical characteristics of the milk, which looks curdled when a cow is infected, or a cow has decreased lactation or low appetite, both symptoms of infection.
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