well sure, vaccine hesitancy was well known; it should not have been a surprise. (And if it was a surprise, the PH directors of those states should resign due to incompetence.) States should have planned for a lower than 90+% uptake in the first tier and planned to move onto the next tier sooner.
Big states like CA and NY could have easily setup a rez portal. Heck, I would guess that Google/Apple would have done it for free if asked.
I agree, if someone does not want it, move on immediately to someone who does. At the same time, have initiatives to promote it and publicize the folks that got it. Pretty soon, many of the hesitant ones will want the vaccine and we can worry about the others later.
Exactly. This is just common sense.
I was told by my county that I would be last on the vaccine priority list since I just had Covid and would probably have at least 3-6 months of natural immunity. This probably will work out ok because by then it shouldnât be as hard to find vaccines.
I honestly think the vaccines should be going to the states with the greatest need. Right now that appears to be California. This virus spreads exponentially. The vaccine cannot be distributed or administered exponentially but the more people that can get vaccinated there the better. There are other states as well that need more doses than they are getting. I donât think itâs right that states that have current vaccine hesitancy are moving on to much lower groups when there is such a need for the other groups, medical staff, people in long term care, etc. to get it. Just because you live in one state that doesnât want the vaccine that doesnât mean you should move up the list just because others donât want it when others who really want it in other states canât get it.
Another problem obviously is getting it in the arms of people. Getting funding to the states if it remains up to them also, to administer it. Through Jan 8 weâve administered 6.69 so it does seem like weâve ramped it up some, but Israel a much smaller country has administered 23.75 million doses!! If they can do it then we can surely get it done. Some lessons for us https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/israels-covid-vaccine-rollout-is-the-fastest-in-the-world.html
I guess that makes sense, but I donât think thatâs what is happening everywhere else.
My county has a registry. Theyâve been really good at updating about covid and their dashboard throughout this entire process I have to say. So now their website says all medical personnel not affiliated with a hospital are who theyâre currently vaccinating and they should make sure theyâre signed up and we get an email when itâs our turn. I sure hope theyâre making sure people are providing proof so randoms arenât just saying they work in health care fields in order to get it.
Someone posted on FB that there is a health care facility taking appointments for vaccination. I went online and was able to get an appt for late Jan. It didnât ask me any questions about my eligibility. I am not eligible now and by making an appoint I am taking a spot from someone. I cancelled it, but I wanted to know how it worked.
The LA Times reports that as of Friday, California had used only 17% of the 4 million doses reserved for nursing home residents. Unbelievable. California residents should be calling the governorâs office every single day to complain.
No reason to send them more doses when they arenât using what they have.
I was easily able to make my first appointment online. BUT when I got to the vaccine administration site, there was a list of eligible types. I was one of them so no problem for me. I donât know what they would have done if I wasnât on the eligible recipient list.
I then had to sign a form verifying my eligibilityâŠwhich also listed out the reasons.
Hereâs whatâs happening with my family members who are age 80+
I keep checking the health dept website where my parents live (in SoCal). They are now vaccinating all tiers of health care workers and expect to move on to those over 80 in early Feb. it also mentions that sites will be set up in âlarge retirement communitiesâ, which their area definitely is. Hope thatâs right. They are eager to get it.
The reason I keep checking is that if it looks complicated they may need help via a phone call. My county was complicated but I hear they have cut out one layer of redundancy. They are using technology to speed up the screening and registration process - when you drove up you werenât allowed into the parking lot without ID matching the appointment list. That person handed you a red card to show to the officer directing people to the door. At the door you got a sticker with a number on it and a QR code to scan. Code took you to a website with medical screening questions and informed consent stuff. You had to type all that on your phone as the line shuffled forward for about 15 minutes. Successful completion of online form resulted in an email with a bar code which got you into the âready to goâ line. Those without smart phones went another direction for someone to ask them the questions and enter their data into the computer. Then another really short line until you were directed to one of about 30 spaced out tables for the actual shot, then to some distantly spaced chairs and told to set a timer for 15 minutes and then leave if we felt fine. It ran slick as butter for those comfortable with technology , but if Seattle has a similar process my 92 year old MIL will need someone with her!
Absolute lunacy in NY, where providers are discarding vaccine rather than give it to people not in the right priority group due to stateâs absurd enforcement policy, per todayâs NYT. Some of these leaders lack all common sense.
@dragonmom I keep checking on the status of things for my 94 year old father who lives alone in Illinois. The county has set up a registry for receiving emails about vaccinations, but nothing about making an appointment to actually get one. He is on email which many elderly are not so one wonders why the county is using email to contact people.
If he were in Indiana, he could already be getting vaccinated. They are vaccinating 80 and up now. In Illinois, when they actually get to the elderly, the group will be those 65 and up. So 65 year olds, who are more likely to be" swift to the system" will beat out 90 year olds who are not. Itâs a 100 mile drive to Indiana, and then, I donât know if they would vaccinate an Illinois resident.
I wish I could be there to help him.
I read in our local newspaper that they are expecting group 1b, which your dad would fall in because of his age, to start receiving the vaccine in early February. You may want to reach out to his primary care physician to see if they have any further information.
But other states could argue that they did a good job, shut down, wore masks, and they should be rewarded for that with the vaccine first. They could argue that getting the vaccine now would stop covid in its tracks, and that no matter how much California (Florida, NYC) vaccinates, there is still going to be a lot of spread.
There is no answer or order that everyone will agree with. Just get all the vaccine out that they can.
As this thread shows, no matter what, people will complain and harbor grievances. Either they will complain about queue jumpers, or they will complain about delays due to administrative measures meant to stop queue jumpers, or they will complain that the defined priorities do not put themselves at a high enough priority level.
So many of these issues are problems of communication - federal government to states, states to localities and/or vaccination facilities, and all of them to regular people who want to know when, how, and where. Itâs always the hardest part even when you know what youâre doing.
So different when you have a small country like Israel with a very strong national identity. The US is like a country with 50 small autonomous countries within it and every state retaining control over Covid closures and vaccine distribution. Then thereâs just so many differing views about the vaccine and its safety versus the lethal risks of Covid itself. None of this surprises me.
What county is he in? My county also has a phone number to call to sign up. If he doesnât have email, you can enroll him with your email though and youâll get the email with information for when he can go. My father called the number and they called him back (had to leave a message). Message me if you need some help. So far, theyâre still only doing group 1a here - medical people and nursing home. Not even doing people in independent care yet, although the vaccine is set aside for them. Theyâre doing assisted living facilities and other care facilities first, not combined ones.
I know! Iâve often had this battle in my head with my kids being home since TG and them only seeing friends who have actual antibodies (with proof and wearing masks) as opposed to friends who like them have not had covid and are extra careful like them. It seems like the ones who havenât had covid and are more careful are being punished and the ones who have had it, or the ones who are intentionally not careful (some have had it and are not necessarily careless) are rewarded by being able to go and do things socially.