GP fear as Covid-19 vaccine booking glitch creates angry mob

Billie Whiteson had never felt as terrified as she did when, because of a glitch in an online booking system, a mob descended on her surgery and demanded to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Billie Whiteson.

In 38 years as a doctor, Billie Whiteson has witnessed many of life’s ugliest moments, from trauma to aggression.

“I’ve dealt with people getting angry. I’ve been there when police have been involved. I’ve been in the middle of two gangs trying to stab each other in the emergency department of a London hospital,” the Sydney GP said.

But she had never felt as terrified or as threatened as she did last week when, because of a glitch in an online booking system, a mob of angry strangers descended on her Bondi Junction surgery and demanded to be vaccinated against Covid-19. When she insisted that she had no spare Pfizer doses, for which the arrivals inadvertently had been given phantom bookings, the crowd became so menacing that the GP reluctantly took doses allocated to patients on a later date and vaccinated several of the most intimidating people.

“I have never been so scared,” said Dr Whiteson, who was alone at the surgery with a single receptionist. “They were telling us that we were lying, that we had the vaccine and refused to give it to them. It was a horrible experience.”

Dr Whiteson’s practice is one of hundreds around the country authorised to administer Covid-19 vaccines. To avoid confusion, Pfizer doses are administered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and AstraZeneca is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

When Pfizer recently became available at GPs’ surgeries, Dr Whiteson sought technical advice on how to update her website’s online bookings. She spoke to an adviser at Health Engine, which provides an online booking service, “and I was told that what I had done was OK”.

At around noon on Thursday last week, her waiting room started to fill with dozens of new and unexpected patients. In the chaotic and at times frightening hour that followed, 61 strangers arrived unannounced, brandishing bookings issued by Health Engine.

“They demanded their Pfizer vaccines,” said Dr Whiteson, who was scheduled to administer only AstraZeneca that day. “Some had driven for miles to get to us, organised childcare, taken the day off work; it cost them money for a thing we didn’t have.”

When the GP tried to explain this, the atmosphere became more charged. “They were all trying to get into the surgery at the same time. They were angry. My receptionist was in tears,” Dr Whiteson said. “It was tense, there was screaming, yelling, jumping over each other.”

Some people refused to leave until they were vaccinated. “We had 42 vaccines set aside for people for Friday. I used six of those for some guys who threatened us; they were all six foot plus.”

While the threats were verbal, Dr Whiteson feared they might escalate. “Nobody hit us but there was this one guy who was pacing up and down who I though might.”

After more than an hour she convinced the crowd to leave. “Eventually people listened to me and left. I said, ‘I really don’t have what you want. There’s nothing I can do. I am sorry.’ ”

She did not call police. “When something like that happens your mind goes blank.” But the experience left her rattled for days.

She does not blame Health Engine, which could not be contacted by The Australian. “These things happen,” Dr Whiteson said of the technical glitch. “The people I blame is the angry mob … We are all just trying to help here.”