Did I Actually Have an Appointment?
My mom called to wake me on Monday morning. “There are vaccines!” she whispered with serious urgency. “I just got a link!”
I was awake in 12 seconds, running down the stairs without my glasses. “Send me the link!” I shrieked. I turned on the computer mouse and ran back upstairs to get the glasses.
The link was for a brand new mass vaccination site.
Frantically, I filled out the form, sharing my eligibility as a K-12 staffer. Over and over and over, I filled out the form, then reloaded the page. I filled out the form another four dozen times. Every time the site said, “Check back a bit later.”
I never even got to enter my name.
Minutes later, a friend called: “I just got an appointment for my brother-in-law!” she said. “I’m going to try to get one for you!”
I gave her my information and tried not to be hopeful. Sure enough, she called back 20 minutes later and said she hadn’t gotten an appointment for me.
“I really tried,” she said. “I didn’t even get to the page with the days and times.”
“I really appreciate you trying,” I said.
“No problem,” she said. “I have to go help my brother-in-law. He’s trying to find an activation code or something.”
We hung up and I hopped onto email. A new, cryptic email said:
Thank you for scheduling your appointment. Please create your MyPortfolio account to view more information about your appointment or to cancel the appointment.
Huh?
It provided a (real, valid) link, so I clicked it. The website said “Please enter your activation code to set up ‘MyPortfolio'” … Hmmmm… That sounded familiar.
I looked back at my confirmation email from January, from the vaccination appointment I missed.
It was the exact same email.
Did I actually have an appointment? How could I find out?
I tried to sign in without an activation code: “forgot your username?” “forgot your password?” I changed everything, submitted new everything. I could not get into my supposed account.
Then I saw a paragraph at the bottom of the page, in fine print.
If you have forgotten all of this information, you will need to contact the number below to obtain access to MyPassport.
I called the number. What did I have to lose? It sure beat spending an entire day waiting in line in the snow at a mass vaccination site, wondering if and when I had an appointment.
“This is not an appointment line,” said the automated system. “We cannot answer any questions about your vaccine appointment. This line is reserved for technical help with the MyPassport system.”
So I stayed on hold. I sat around, played on the computer, made my lunch. I was on hold for 45 minutes. Just as I finished making my salad, someone answered.
“Hello, my name is Blah Blah, what can I do for you today?”
“I got an email asking me to sign in to MyPassport, but it wants an activation code and I don’t have an activation code,” I said.
“I can help you with that,” he said. And he did. He gave me an activation code, and he waited while I typed it into the box. I hit submit.
“That will give you your new activation code,” he said.
“What?!?” I cried. “I just got an activation code!”
He laughed. “You should have another one in your email.”
Sure enough, I did. I signed into MyPassport and read what was in there:
COVID IMMUNIZATION
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021 @ 3:15 p.m.
Somehow, some way, without my really doing anything, I have an appointment to be vaccinated.