The White House is aware of the problems with vaccine appointments

A top White House official Monday said the Biden administration is working with states to improve their coronavirus vaccine sign-ups, as many Americans have expressed frustration at the difficulties in finding appointments.

“I think scheduling an appointment is too difficult — remains too difficult — in too many places,” White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters.

As states have opened vaccine eligibility to more people, signups have been plagued by technical glitches. Websites have repeatedly crashed, phone lines have been inundated with callers, and people have been unable to find open appointments.

“Overall, too many Americans are suffering frustration, taking up way too much time to schedule an appointment,” Zients said, adding that while the Biden administration has been increasing the number of vaccinators and vaccination sites, they want to help states to make sure the technology systems can handle the increased capacity and new demand.

Zients said the administration is also looking at “lower-tech solutions that the federal government might be able to provide,” such as call centers or people to help navigate the system.