A message intended for just 20 Minnesotans was erroneously sent Saturday to a much larger group enrolled in the state's COVID-19 Vaccine Pilot Program, with repeated e-mails and text messages wrongly asserting their appointments for vaccinations were "unauthorized and no longer valid."
Minnesotans get erroneous vaccine e-mails, then apologies
The glitch wrongly told people waiting for their second doses that appointments are "no longer valid."
January 30, 2021 at 7:45PM
An outside vendor to the state government program sent the messages, and followed up just before noon with apologies for the error.
"A text/e-mail erroneously went out from Primary Bio to some Minnesotans saying their appointment was unauthorized and invalid," the Minnesota Department of Health said in a statement. "For the vast majority of Minnesotans, this message was in error."
The original message was intended for 20 people who, due to a software glitch, were able to register for an appointment despite being ineligible.
Those who received the message in error were told in a follow-up message to show up for their appointments as scheduled, the statement said.
Roughly a dozen readers contacted the Star Tribune Saturday morning after receiving the erroneous messages. In all cases, those who received messages already had obtained a first dose of vaccine through the state program, and have appointments scheduled to receive a second dose.
Several readers also indicated they received vaccine during the first week of the pilot program, before Minnesota moved to a lottery system for granting access to shots. About 6,000 people received shots during the first week.
A Health Department spokesman wrote in an e-mail "there is no indication that the erroneous message from Primary Bio led to any no-shows at the sites."
The sender on the e-mails was listed as Primary, a trade name for a software company called Primary.Health.
The company announced this month a Minnesota Department of Health contract for providing vaccines at 20 community centers.
The company's website says Primary.Health manages and automates COVID-19 testing and vaccination programs, and lists the address of a California-based firm called Primary Diagnostics Inc.
The company did not respond to a phone call and message seeking comment.
Christopher Snowbeck • 612-673-4744
Twitter: @chrissnowbeck
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