That’s what I did. My father is computer literate but things were such a mess here initially trying to get appointments that I ended up using my email and signing them up a couple of places while he signed up at others. He got appointments for the two of them but not until mid-March! The place I registered ended up having appointments days after I registered so I called my mom, told her what time/days were available then just filled in all the questions while she was on the phone so she could answer any I didn’t know. So glad I helped them b/c the place they went (local hospital) was incredibly efficient - no wait, no exposure to other patients, booked their appt for second dose upon check in. They were in and out within 25 minutes, including their 15 min wait after the dose. Later that night, local news showed the long line outside the sports complex where my parents were initially supposed to go. At ages 85 and 79, even tho they are healthy and agile, I would not have wanted them waiting in the frigid cold in a line with hundreds of other people.
Most of my friends with elderly parents are booking their parents’ appointments. There was even a spot on the forms I filled out asking if the contact person was the patient or someone acting on patient’s behalf.
I read that also. They said signups will begin Feb 9. Can you stay up until just past midnight in case they drop them then? And check every hour after that? I’m hoping CVS will add my parents’ town but they seem (quite rightly) to be focusing away from larger urban areas.
At our stadium event, only for seniors 70+ (that’s the group open right now, along with medical people and nursing homes), the entire thing was done in the car. No getting out. If you were on driver’s side, it went in your left arm; passenger side, right arm. Waited the 15 minutes in the car in the next parking lot. Second shot is at the same time, 3 weeks away.
The one this weekend is also at a sports event center but the seniors have to go inside. That seems a lot harder for the seniors, but they are trying to arrange some transportation for them too (buses, ride share). It’s also supposed to snow and be cold.
My mom got her first dose! The site in her area allows some walk-ins, with lines that have been hours long. This morning she got a call from a friend saying to get down there fast, the walk in line was only a few people. Dad drove and dropped her out front with a rollator in case she needed to sit down. They were home again in 45 minutes! I’m so relieved.
But this just shows more of the inequality inherent in this plan. If she didn’t have a friend with a cell phone (and an early tee time overlooking the clubhouse where the clinic is) and didn’t have a car, it might have been many weeks.
Glad your mom got vaccinated. It is a full time job to get an appointment.
My kids said to me, “Mommy, when it is our turn, would you make sure we get an appt?” They are both over 25.
I’ve been counting on the 25 year old kids of elderly friends to get their parents vaccinated-they are better at the technology anyway. Our neighborhood deployed high school kids to nearby houses of older citizens to help them get appointments online.
If the Astra Zeneca vaccine gets approved then things will really open up. It not only shows good efficacy after one dose but just requires normal refrigeration for storage. I see “The Vaccine Mobile” (vs the bloodmobile) which comes and sits on a corner for a weekend. From what I read you dont need a second dose for 3 months (or longer) which also helps getting it to people. But nobody is now pushing FDA for emergency use now so who knows?
today Cuomo announced that certain doses that are in the hospitals that were allocated for Medical workers will be available for those with comorbidities soon. he is working to define this. Another words there was enough doses for all the health care workers and in some cases some did not want the vaccine. Not a while lot of doses I am sure , but still.
*Partnering with local pharmacies that are present in the state instead of the national ones that are less present, “use it or lose it” policy to incentivize local entities to use the vaccine supply as quickly as possible rather hoarding it.
That list was released and they will start vaccinating people 18+ with comorbidities on Feb 15. I saw it on his Twitter account but it should be on the ny.gov website by now. They also added restaurant workers and a few other jobs. All still considered “phase 1b” for some reason. Can we move to calling it 1c or even…phase 2?
Edited: Just to save people some trouble, you can’t sign up until Feb 15 on any of the sites. I just wasted a lot of time trying to sign up for a spot after the 15th but it’s not open as an option until then.
I don’t care what it’s called just happy that my H and I fall into the extended 1b category. Thanks @PetraMC, you’ve saved me hours between now and 2/15! When I saw that the “Am I Eligible?” part of the ny.gov website had not been updated to include those additional categories I assumed appointments would not be open until 2/15 but now I know for sure!
We don’t change the categories in Colorado, just keep adding (literally) millions to each group. I am 1B.3. Group 1b.2 was those over 70. Starting on Monday they’ve added those 65-69 and all school teachers from Pk-12, plus any daycare workers. To 1b.3, which originally was 18-64 with two health issues they have added all adults with mental disabilities, all grocery store workers, all restaurant workers, transportation workers, prison workers who weren’t part of an earlier group (many were). Group 1b.3 went from 1 million people to 3 million people.
I just made an April appt for my friend who had cancer. In NYC she is not eligible until Feb 15, but if she were to wait until then she wouldn’t be able get an appt.
I just check the ny site every once a while and sometimes few openings pop up.
Is she under 65? It keeps telling me I’m not eligible and there is no box to check for health conditions yet. I’ll keep checking to see if that changes because I am That Way.
Here the only group that matters if you have health conditions are the 16-64 group, and that’s not up yet (not even scheduled for a start date, so probably March or April). So far, it has just been the over 70s, the nursing home people, health care workers and it doesn’t move you up if you have health issues. Age or occupation. On Monday it adds teachers and 65-69, and again, no bump for conditions unless the school district decides to do it; my sister is 65 and a teacher, so her district says it is giving priority to teachers over 65 or with health conditions, but the district has to do that. We’ll see. Right now they are giving priority to those teaching in schools with high free lunch.
