Quebec's Clic Santé Website Broke & Demand For Appointments Is Predictably Astronomical
The website was down for a while on Monday morning.
On Monday morning, over 83,000 Quebecers made a mad scramble to book appointments on the Clic Santé website. The morning rush apparently shut down the website for a short while, stalling anyone who wanted to get a vaccination or test appointment before the holidays.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé posted on Twitter about the shutdown, citing "technical difficulties."
Ce matin, un tr\u00e8s grand nombre de Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois tentent de prendre rendez-vous sur Clic Sant\u00e9. Le site fait face \u00e0 des difficult\u00e9s techniques, mais on nous dit que ce sera r\u00e9tabli bient\u00f4t. Nous vous remercions pour votre patience et pour votre engouement.— Christian Dub\u00e9 (@Christian Dub\u00e9) 1640005811
After about an hour or so, the website was restored. Since Monday morning, according to the health minister, 83,000 Quebecers rushed to make an appointment through the site.
Dubé reminded everyone who is planning to book an appointment for a booster shot that those are only available to some Quebecers for the time being, including people aged 65 and older and people with chronic illnesses. Regular first-dose and second-dose vaccine appointments are open to everyone. Flu shot appointments can also be booked on Clic Santé.
Bonne nouvelle: les enjeux ayant affect\u00e9s Clic Sant\u00e9 sont maintenant r\u00e9solus. J\u2019invite les Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois de 65 ans et plus \u00e0 continuer de prendre leurs rdv vous d\u00e8s maintenant. Depuis ce matin, c\u2019est 83k Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois qui ont d\u00e9j\u00e0 pris rdv!— Christian Dub\u00e9 (@Christian Dub\u00e9) 1640008827
Some of Quebec's pharmacies also saw a rush of people on Monday morning, with reported lineups around the block to get free at-home COVID-19 testing kits. At least three pharmacy websites crashed.
Dubé asked for patience from the public as some pharmacies struggled to keep up with demand. Pharmacies will be distributing free at-home test kits throughout the week.
"The quantities are limited by arrivals," the health minister wrote on Twitter. "We ask you to be understanding. Pharmacies will display the inventory status on their stores."
Monday morning marked the beginning of a new wave of health regulations in the province. As of December 20, restaurants, bars, stores and many venues are reduced to 50% capacity, and karaoke, dancing and office holiday parties are banned. Private indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people in one household.