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Letter to the Editor: For Visitors to cvvaccine.nmhealth.org

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New Mexico residents are encouraged to register for the Cornovirus Vaccine. It’s an easy process, at first. Pertinent information is gathered, and a decision is made about notification: phone, text or email. But then, depending upon how you connect to the internet, a test must be passed. It’s called a “CAPTCHA.” Presumably, most pass the CAPTCHA, as unlimited retakes are allowed. But there are those, such as myself, who fail repeatedly. For us, online registration is an impossibility. This angers me.

Moreover, for those who browse the internet by way of a VPN or the TOR network, I suspect that the bar for passing is elevated.

Fortunately, though, the New Mexico Department of Health allows registration by phone as an alternative. It’s as simple as dialing their phone number and pressing the appropriate options. A live operator is eventually heard, who may at first push reconsideration of the online application process. (I told my operator that I flunked my CAPTCHA and didn’t want to apply online.) A list of questions follows, and a “Confirmation Number” concludes the conversation.

So, my advice is to attempt the CAPTCHA.  For the majority who pass, good; they’re on the waiting list.  But for those who flunk, there’s no need for despair. Because, there’s no such thing as a telephone CAPTCHA.

Doug Kemp
Los Alamos, N.M.