HOUSTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas on Tuesday launched a waitlist for people who want to get the COVID-19 vaccine to make registration.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said that in order to create an equitable way to distribute and administer the vaccine, the waitlist will not use a first-come, first-served process for appointments.

"Getting a COVID-19 vaccine shouldn't be like 'The Hunger Games,'" Hidalgo said. "It shouldn't be about who can hit refresh on a browser the fastest."

Anyone can register for the waitlist to get the vaccine, but only people in the A and B groups are going to get appointments for now.

The registration portal became available at noon on Tuesday but within an hour of operation "technical difficulties" were found, according to local media reports. Problems were fixed within hours.

Besides the portal, people can also register for the waitlist through phone call, Hidalgo said. Enditem