State vendor sends erroneous messages telling Minnesotans their COVID-19 appointment was cancelled
Check-in sign at pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. (FOX 9)
(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Health says one of its vendors accidentally sent messages to some Minnesotans with appointments to get the COVID-19 vaccine, telling them their appointment had been cancelled, creating confusion for some patients looking to get their second COVID-19 shot.
According to MDH, vendor Primary Bio was trying to send the message to about 20 people who had been able to register for a vaccine appointment despite being ineligible for the shot.
However, the message ended up getting sent to a larger group than intended, telling those people their appointment had been cancelled.
"It has come to our attention that you were able to make a vaccine appointment even though you were not randomly selected for the COVID-19 Vaccine Pilot Program this week," one of the messages said. "As a result, we regret to inform you that your appointment is unauthorized and no longer valid."
It's unclear exactly how many people received the message.
FOX 9 was contacted by a number of individuals about the error Saturday morning. One person told us her 72-year-old father, who had already received his first shot, got the error message.
Shortly after, Primary sent a follow-up email correcting and apologizing for the error.
"That was an ERROR and we sincerely apologize for any confusion," the message read. "Your appointment is confirmed. Please show up to your appointment as previously scheduled."
A statement from MDH reads: "Our vendor, Primary Bio, has taken full responsibility and has apologized to the State of Minnesota and all Minnesotans impacted. Those Minnesotans who received the message in error this morning have been notified that their appointments are confirmed and they should show up to their appointment as previously scheduled."