Sam Mendelson and Daniel Stoiber created this free tool that scans for vaccine appointments every few minutes.
While millions of adults across the state hit refresh on MyTurn.ca.gov, anxiously awaiting highly coveted vaccine appointment slots, these 2 quick-thinking high school students managed to find a much more streamlined way to make appointments for their parents. CovaxSF is a free Twitter bot that tweets updates about vaccine availability in San Francisco, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, and Alameda counties.
Simply follow the @CovaxSF Twitter account (you’ll have to make your own Twitter account if you don’t have one already), turn on notifications for all tweets, and sit tight.
To get notified when appointments are available, follow @CovaxSF, click the bell, and select All Tweets.
If you have questions or want to contact us, check out our FAQ at https://t.co/eYJm9bePsK
— COVID Vaccines SF (@CovaxSF) April 7, 2021
Sam Mendelson and Daniel Stoiber, 2 seniors at Design Tech High School in Redwood City, are not asking for any money in exchange for this service. Instead, they simply request that you donate to the San Francisco Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, or another local charity fighting COVID-19. They also suggest charities supporting “the next generation of change-makers,” like Girls Who Code or Code Club.
The pair created a clear and helpful YouTube tutorial explaining how to use CovaxSF and MyTurn. Watch it here:
Alternatively, you can read through the CovaxSF FAQ page for concise instructions or clarification. Mendelson and Stoiber are also responding to DMs on Twitter to the @CovaxSF account.
Some helpful tips from the pair include:
- If you have insurance, keep your card handy so that you can input the data on MyTurn as soon as appointments become available.
- CovaxSF doesn’t check drugstores, so check VaccineFinder or other sources in case there’s a drugstore located nearer to you.
- After inputting your data in MyTurn, use the “Change location” button rather than refreshing the page. You can change it to the same location/county, but this way you’ll avoid having to input all your data again.
Be sure to watch the video or read the FAQs for more information. And don’t forget to follow @CovaxSF on Twitter to support these 2 young innovators and get vaxxed at the same time!
[Featured Image: Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash]