Valley counties prepare to shift to new COVID vaccine appointment system

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Blue Shield is taking control of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out across California counties but some Central Valley regions say the issues with the website could still cause confusion.

The state will shift to the new system Monday, and aims to streamline the vaccination process.

MyTurn will also become the state's main website to register for a vaccine.

Madera County Public Health director, Sara Bosse, says there are functionalities the website needs to have before the county can fully transition.

"If we're going to the employer of a food and ag group, we want to reach out to that employer, have RPE registration, come on site, and register those individuals. MyTurn doesn't currently have the functionality to do that," Bosse says.

The statewide shift will happen in phases, with the full transition expected by the end of March.

Fresno County health officials say the additional time to switch over will mean their distribution won't be impacted.

Tulare County started using MyTurn this week at their four OptumServe sites and is working to add other vaccine providers onto the system.

Tulare County health officials say they're utilizing MyTurn's call center and community-based organizations to avoid confusion, and reach out to eligible patients to let them know when it's their turn for a dose.