I posted about it earlier, but my area has started a lottery system for the extra doses at the end of the day. You email to join a list if you can make it to their clinic with 30 minutes notice in the afternoon. It's not perfect (anyone can sign up--doesn't matter is you are a priority class--and you def need internet access/transportation/etc), but it makes sure there's no waste. They get like 10,000 entries a day for 1 dose though!
Post by formerlyak on Jan 22, 2021 11:53:56 GMT -5
WRT wasting doses, I have noticed that appointments at the larger sites kind of pop up all day but the appointments are like you have to be there in 20 minutes. And the county site is literally updated all day round the clock. I think part of that is when a certain number of no shows happen, they open an appointment to get that dose out. I was very lucky that I was on my computer when our local pharmacy opened up appointments and I got them for my parents and my in-law and my parents immediately called their besties and told them what to do, so they all got appointments at the most convenient place. But, most of the seniors I know got appointments because their kids did it for them. There are a few people on Next Door who are helping people get them who don't have kids to help.
LA County's distribution is a crap show like everywhere, but from what I can tell, most people go around their appointment time and are in and out within an hour. There are some outliers, but that's been the bulk of what I've been hearing. There are also a lot of large "walk-up" sites. You still need an appointment, but you walk in instead of staying in your car. And on the info page, it gives instructions regarding what bus to take or how to tell your Uber/Lyft to get there. There are also quite a few clinics in underserved communities. A phone line was set up to help seniors who don't want to do or can't do the website. And, the website is available in English and Spanish. I think here it's just a matter of millions of people being eligible since it's 65+ and there aren't yet millions of appointments due to limited doses.
My parents (75+) got appointments for their first this week. I also feel a little frustrated about the process. They are probably a little more tech savvy than average for their age and I still had to put myself on the alerts for their county, call them immediately when stuff opened, and walk them through it step by step. Then my dad showed up for his appointment yesterday and still had to stand in line outside for 1.5 hours. He is pretty healthy and was able to, but he said there were a lot of really old people in wheelchairs and with their adult children with them/carrying camp chairs and stuff. My mom has her appointment today and is prepared to wait a long time. They also don't let them get a second appointment for the next dose yet--they will have to wait until more appointments open and do the internet scramble again. I mean, it's good because they are getting vaccinated, but I just worry about people who don't have a tech savvy person in their life who knows how to get on the alerts and walk them through the process. Appointments fill up so quickly!
Meanwhile, I'm 1b and there has been not a word about when/how my county plans to open up appointments for us. Surrounding counties have been doing 1b for weeks now, though I think they have waitlists for appointments. I'm trying to be patient because I know supply is the issue.
wanderingback, I messed up the quoting but this is in reply to your question about what they are doing here.
The gov did not plan to start vaccinating until late spring because we were managing it pretty well. Not related, but we had a bad year for flu vaccine. There were a number of people who died in close proximity to receiving flu vaccine, although that has never been determined to be the cause of death. But because of this, the gov. wanted to have a slow rollout for the Covid vaccine. Then we had spike in cases so everything got pulled forward to late Feb to begin administering shots.
We have much more detailed tiers than what I’ve seen in the US. I actually qualify sooner here than I would in the US because I turned 50 this year. Korea has contracts for enough doses for everyone living here, including all foreign residents and undocumented immigrants. Everyone gets it for free. I do not know the exact specifics yet of how we will know when to get our shots but I’m not particularly worried about it. The testing and tracking has been phenomenal so I would imagine some of the same resources will be used for administering the vaccine. For one thing, it will be much easier because we have national healthcare, which means probably 95% of the population is already in the database.
We have testing sites EVERYwhere. I would imagine a lot of these will be converted to vaccination sites. Modern a is supplying most of the doses coming here so we aren’t limited by the super cold refrigeration requirements. We have no shortage of Human Resources. Korea has a mandatory 20 month military service and there are more people in the service than they have a purpose for. They constantly seem to be having the military do other jobs just to stay useful so I would imagine they will become the distribution chain for the vaccine. Medical personnel are also readily available. (Members of my household have gone to get a covid test 8 different times—the longest it has ever taken us from standing in line to walking out the door afterward is maybe 20 minutes. Results arrive in 6-12 hours, just to illustrate the resources being thrown at this)
I’m short on the specifics of how and where precisely, but that is mainly due to me not being a Korean language speaker. I get a condensed version of info translated by the global village center that is texted out to foreigners. Even though I don’t have details, I have complete confidence that there is a very orderly plan under way. I’ll let you know more when it rolls out.
I am also struggling with this for my dad. He is 84 and lives in Phoenix so not even a rural area. But he still has to drive (which is really hard for him right now) and wait in a very long line in his car. He is worried he won't be able to make the drive and is worried that he is not going to be able to wait the length without using the bathroom. We should 100% have home visits for vaccination of the elderly IMO OR at least be giving it to his dr (close to his house and he feels like he can drive there).
There needs to be more of an effort to get vaccines out to those who don't drive. I would guess at least 30% of those in my parents' retirement community don't drive and people are not necessarily willing to carpool right now.
There also needs to be a big push to vaccinate people who don't have reliable methods of transportation. There are a ton of essential workers and their families who struggle to get to regularly scheduled doctor's appointments because they have to rely on public transit, catching a ride, or borrowing a car. It would be great if they could set up vaccine centers at transit hubs.
This is a great point. My GMIL lives in a retirement community, but apparently their aren't going to be vaccinations in her building because it isn't assisted living. GMIL is in her 90s and isn't tech savy enough to coordinate getting the vaccine on her own. Luckily, MIL is able to help get her an appointment, but she would never be able to figure it out on her own.
I think we are going to miss a lot of older individuals because they can't manage the tech side of getting vaccinated. Even my Aunt who is more tech savvy than GMIL will probably end up waiting till the vaccine is available at her doctor's office, just cause of technology limitations.
I wish we were trying all the alternative means of distribution like the transit hubs you mentioned and seeing which process works best. I know my county is still doing most vaccine distribution at hospitals, which sure seems like it will limit the ability to ramp up vaccinations when the supply has increased.
So not only is my 76yo dad expected to navigate a website to sign up for his vaccine appointment, but he lives in RURAL RURAL RURAL NH with shitty satellite internet, so after he input all his info, the internet froze on him.
I called him and got him all signed up to get an email to make an appointment (WTF - I told him to forward the email to me).
What a shitshow.
I’m going through this with my dad in MO right now. In his 80s, living by himself in an extremely rural area. Tried to schedule through his doctor, hospital system, VFW, etc. through the phone - can’t do it because no one knows when doses will be available. He doesn’t have internet, so I keep checking the county/state online and it’s just a map of CVS locations and a smattering of vaccine administrators not in his area with no way to sign up.
ETA: I was trying to find out more information about other sites, and other articles are making it sound like the Poplar Bluff doses are already spoken for, so clearly the “not pre-registering” thing wouldn’t work out for lots of people. Also, it’s a one-day event organized by the National Guard. I suspect that what will happen is that these will pop up periodically as more vaccine is released, and people will have to be watching the news and jump on the pre-registration. So really not as helpful a solution as I was hoping. Sigh. I wish they would coordinate with doctor’s offices. They could use EMR systems to create lists of people eligible for vaccination. They wouldn’t have to store it/administer it, necessarily, but could generate letters telling people where to go and what number to call to register. Or better yet, maybe the state could hire people who have lost income due to COVID to make those phone calls/generate those letters so that medical office staff doesn’t have yet another huge job on their plate.
So not only is my 76yo dad expected to navigate a website to sign up for his vaccine appointment, but he lives in RURAL RURAL RURAL NH with shitty satellite internet, so after he input all his info, the internet froze on him.
I called him and got him all signed up to get an email to make an appointment (WTF - I told him to forward the email to me).
What a shitshow.
My parents are in rural NH too. Their internet often goes down and my mom is not always the best at navigating these things. They were not even aware that they could register. I have been keeping track of this for them and sending them updates. There is no way seniors in NH are going to be adequately vaccinated.
@@@ I think this gets an @ because children are mentioned. But adult children.
Almost everyone I know is doing the internet leg work for their parents. Not every senior has a middle aged child available or even able to do this for them.
I can only speak for my area but appointments for now because we have so few doses available for people that are eligible that standing in line for hours, especially for the elderly, wouldn’t be a good idea.
I’m pretty sure people would end up just needing to come day after day after day for many weeks. Now once there is wide spread availability, at least in my area, yes they’re planning to do it more like that with pop up places, walk-in places, going more in to the community, etc much more readily available.
They’ve tried to help here with appointments by having a call center as well, but yes overall it is a difficult system to navigate. Hopefully once more vaccines are available it’ll be much better.
Ah, that makes sense. So we need a crapton more vaccine and then we can do everything more easily.
IF ONLY 45 HAD A GODDAMNED PLAN AND NOT PASSED ON BUYING LOTS MORE VACCINE MONTHS AGO.
I think it does come down to this...massive amounts of vaccine and manpower and a coordinated federal and then state and then community response would have been the ticket. But even with a better president, the roll lit wouldn’t have been perfect.
I’m in Florida and I’m seeing a lot of different ways that people are getting appointments. There’s a federal site two counties down that is taking phone appointments, there are various health department, hospital and private entities (Publix) offering appointment only using some kind of website or asking people to email and then getting notified either by phone or email as availability comes up and there have been pop up locations offering first come first serve mostly in smaller, more remote and less affluent areas (seeing much fewer of these). I have heard mega complaints about all 3 and it is of course because people aren’t getting through or getting their shot after massive amounts of time waiting either on the phone, online or in person. But appointments are getting made so it’s not like the ball is getting dropped there. It’s just so much demand. One of our major hospitals south of me had to cancel appointments due to availability and that to me is the absolute worst. They didn’t get any priority for next scheduling that I’m aware of and had to go back into the massive horde of people after thinking they had gotten the golden ticket
I’m going through this with my dad in MO right now. In his 80s, living by himself in an extremely rural area. Tried to schedule through his doctor, hospital system, VFW, etc. through the phone - can’t do it because no one knows when doses will be available. He doesn’t have internet, so I keep checking the county/state online and it’s just a map of CVS locations and a smattering of vaccine administrators not in his area with no way to sign up.
Thank you, Ruthie! This is very helpful! Poplar Bluff isn’t especially close to him, but doable if he has someone to keep him company on the drive. I really appreciate you sharing this info!
wanderingback , I messed up the quoting but this is in reply to your question about what they are doing here.
The gov did not plan to start vaccinating until late spring because we were managing it pretty well. Not related, but we had a bad year for flu vaccine. There were a number of people who died in close proximity to receiving flu vaccine, although that has never been determined to be the cause of death. But because of this, the gov. wanted to have a slow rollout for the Covid vaccine. Then we had spike in cases so everything got pulled forward to late Feb to begin administering shots.
We have much more detailed tiers than what I’ve seen in the US. I actually qualify sooner here than I would in the US because I turned 50 this year. Korea has contracts for enough doses for everyone living here, including all foreign residents and undocumented immigrants. Everyone gets it for free. I do not know the exact specifics yet of how we will know when to get our shots but I’m not particularly worried about it. The testing and tracking has been phenomenal so I would imagine some of the same resources will be used for administering the vaccine. For one thing, it will be much easier because we have national healthcare, which means probably 95% of the population is already in the database.
We have testing sites EVERYwhere. I would imagine a lot of these will be converted to vaccination sites. Modern a is supplying most of the doses coming here so we aren’t limited by the super cold refrigeration requirements. We have no shortage of Human Resources. Korea has a mandatory 20 month military service and there are more people in the service than they have a purpose for. They constantly seem to be having the military do other jobs just to stay useful so I would imagine they will become the distribution chain for the vaccine. Medical personnel are also readily available. (Members of my household have gone to get a covid test 8 different times—the longest it has ever taken us from standing in line to walking out the door afterward is maybe 20 minutes. Results arrive in 6-12 hours, just to illustrate the resources being thrown at this)
I’m short on the specifics of how and where precisely, but that is mainly due to me not being a Korean language speaker. I get a condensed version of info translated by the global village center that is texted out to foreigners. Even though I don’t have details, I have complete confidence that there is a very orderly plan under way. I’ll let you know more when it rolls out.
Thank you for sharing! In response to the bolded. In my city there are also testing sites everywhere, but unfortunately we can't convert them to vaccine sites even if we had doses since people still need to get tested The most recent public health messages I've heard are to remind people that regular testing is still important even though the vaccine is here since we don't have nearly enough doses for the millions of people. It seems we're still testing 100,000+ people per day. Hope the roll out goes smoothly and you all have enough doses to vaccinate your area.
From WP: Up to 100 sites run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency could begin offering coronavirus vaccine within the next month, part of a strategy that would dramatically expand the federal government’s role in the effort to corral the pandemic.
“FEMA … will mobilize thousands of clinical and non-clinical staff and contractors who will work hand-in-glove with the National Guard and state and local teams to assist, augment, and expedite the distribution and administration of covid-19 vaccines,” the FEMA document states.
If requested by states and other jurisdictions, the draft notes, “the U.S. Government would develop, equip, provide information management, and staff and operate the site.”
Thank you, Ruthie! This is very helpful! Poplar Bluff isn’t especially close to him, but doable if he has someone to keep him company on the drive. I really appreciate you sharing this info!
See my edit. It might not be as good as I hoped. I’m still trying to find out more information.
I have found a new "calling" with helping my parents' elderly neighbors and friends secure appointments (FL).
@@@ Wednesday, I had one of my students helping me count down the seconds while I had several windows open to try to snag an appointment for my dad's 90 year old friend. When I got through and secured a spot, the whole class cheered, the kids Zooming in were like, "Did you get it?!" and they were telling their other classes about how they helped an older man get the vaccine. It shouldn't be this way, of course, but I have to try to find the bright spots.
I'm in charge of coordinating the effort for my school. I have been making appointments myself for bus drivers, housekeepers, and other staff that don't use technology a ton. Some don't have email addresses (which are required) and some have flip phones. It is heartbreaking to work through each one, but it feels like I am doing SOMETHING. There is a mandatory online pre-screen with no paper version onsite. I spend half my days working with these guys but it feels good. They are very worried for their spouses and relatives that don't have these resources at work.
I have found a new "calling" with helping my parents' elderly neighbors and friends secure appointments (FL).
@@@ Wednesday, I had one of my students helping me count down the seconds while I had several windows open to try to snag an appointment for my dad's 90 year old friend. When I got through and secured a spot, the whole class cheered, the kids Zooming in were like, "Did you get it?!" and they were telling their other classes about how they helped an older man get the vaccine. It shouldn't be this way, of course, but I have to try to find the bright spots.
I'm in charge of coordinating the effort for my school. I have been making appointments myself for bus drivers, housekeepers, and other staff that don't use technology a ton. Some don't have email addresses (which are required) and some have flip phones. It is heartbreaking to work through each one, but it feels like I am doing SOMETHING. There is a mandatory online pre-screen with no paper version onsite. I spend half my days working with these guys but it feels good. They are very worried for their spouses and relatives that don't have these resources at work.
I'm really glad you mentioned this because I am wondering if it will be an issue at my job once we are even vaccinating the general public. I am going to start trying to work on setting up computers and help stations for this.
"Like a speeding car whose brake lines have been cut, the coronavirus variant first spotted in Britain is spreading at an alarming rate and isn’t responding to established ways of slowing the pandemic, according to Danish scientists who have one of the world’s best views into the new, more contagious strain.
Cases involving the variant are increasing 70 percent a week in Denmark, despite a strict lockdown, according to Denmark’s State Serum Institute, a government agency that tracks diseases and advises health policy."
If it's spreading that prolifically in a place with a strict lockdown, I can't even fathom the damage here in the states.
Well, it looks like I may qualify for the just opened tier in my county due to employment.
They had an online sign up for their next public vaccination clinic, and I was able to get a spot. On Tuesday of next week.
I feel a bit guilty, because there are so many people in this tier here, and the available spots filled up in less than 5 minutes.
On the other hand, it means I won't have to worry as much about the anti-mask league at work sooner than later (yes, it's in violation of company policies, and no, they don't seem to care). That gives me a warm fuzzy. I will still mask up, but that stress will be very much reduced.
My husband tested positive yesterday after being exposed at work. I’ve been on him for months because I think their protocols are trash. He got it from being in a meeting with someone who tested positive a few days later. Multiple people in a small conference room for hours wearing cloth masks is not smart.
Post by wanderingback on Jan 22, 2021 15:24:39 GMT -5
I had totally forgot I signed up for an NIH study to give a blood sample to look for covid antibodies about 6 months ago (we don't get the results). I sent my blood sample back and forgot all about it.
Well know they're calling back to follow up and they're going to continue to follow us for 6 and 12 months. This data is being used to help better understand info about antibodies and to help with treatment and vaccines for covid.
So they're sending me out another kit to collect another blood sample. Again yay science!
Post by formerlyak on Jan 22, 2021 15:43:53 GMT -5
When I got my vaccine this week, I was asked if I’d be willing to check in at certain intervals to report any side effects. I said yes and got a text last night and was able to participate in the study. More data is better, right? It’s a National thing, so if you get your vaccine, hopefully you can participate as well.
I have found a new "calling" with helping my parents' elderly neighbors and friends secure appointments (FL).
@@@ Wednesday, I had one of my students helping me count down the seconds while I had several windows open to try to snag an appointment for my dad's 90 year old friend. When I got through and secured a spot, the whole class cheered, the kids Zooming in were like, "Did you get it?!" and they were telling their other classes about how they helped an older man get the vaccine. It shouldn't be this way, of course, but I have to try to find the bright spots.
I'm in charge of coordinating the effort for my school. I have been making appointments myself for bus drivers, housekeepers, and other staff that don't use technology a ton. Some don't have email addresses (which are required) and some have flip phones. It is heartbreaking to work through each one, but it feels like I am doing SOMETHING. There is a mandatory online pre-screen with no paper version onsite. I spend half my days working with these guys but it feels good. They are very worried for their spouses and relatives that don't have these resources at work.
It’s horrible. I’m doing what I can because I want to (and I have the time) but I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel amazing when this 90 year old gentleman told my dad today that it was the first night he’s slept well in months. Super rewarding just by using skills perfected over Ticketmaster in years past 😂
When I got my vaccine this week, I was asked if I’d be willing to check in at certain intervals to report any side effects. I said yes and got a text last night and was able to participate in the study. More data is better, right? It’s a National thing, so if you get your vaccine, hopefully you can participate as well.
Ah, that makes sense. So we need a crapton more vaccine and then we can do everything more easily.
IF ONLY 45 HAD A GODDAMNED PLAN AND NOT PASSED ON BUYING LOTS MORE VACCINE MONTHS AGO.
Yep exactly. Right now we’re already seeing so much inequity based on lack of vaccines and ability to do outreach. It seems as though in most states that are tracking data significantly more white people are getting vaccinated, and I’m going to assume more affluent and wealthy people are getting vaccinated as well.
My county has had a really strong emphasis on equity. For testing they were able to put it into place pretty well - situating mobile testing sites to target those with limited means and/or limited access to transportation and reaching out directly to communities of color.
For vaccines its been much harder. Yes, the county is trying to target at risk communities, those living in multigenerational settings and communities of color. But the county itself only gets a small fraction of the actual vaccines with many going to the big health groups like Kaiser and Sutter and private organizations. And further, no matter how much they reach out, if you are older and belong to certain health programs and can drive out of county to Palo Alto or Burlingame you can get vaccinated, but there is nothing available locally.
Pfizer is going to ship fewer vaccine vials to the US since some vials have an extra dose and charge more per vial.
ETA to clarify: They want to ship fewer vials total and have that count as their full commitment to the US (and other countries). So it isn't even like the country gets the same number of vials as anticipated and just pays more. They want to be able to sell the "excess" elsewhere or as a new commitment.
Someone tell me if I’m overreacting but this is really making me angry. It’s a freaking global pandemic. They can’t think a little less about their pocketbooks right now? The goal should be get as many vaccines out as possible....right?!
Someone tell me if I’m overreacting but this is really making me angry. It’s a freaking global pandemic. They can’t think a little less about their pocketbooks right now? The goal should be get as many vaccines out as possible....right?!
The slow roll out is going to break me.
Yep—my first reaction was “well—once the other companies catch up let’s buy as many as possible remaining doses from them”.
Someone tell me if I’m overreacting but this is really making me angry. It’s a freaking global pandemic. They can’t think a little less about their pocketbooks right now? The goal should be get as many vaccines out as possible....right?!
The slow roll out is going to break me.
Super shitty. And I think a different administration could have made a difference here with better negotiations.