Sorry but there is no basis for any of these statements. Without venturing into politics, you have no idea what was/wasn’t planned and what monies have been provided.
I know that in MA there is almost 1 billion from a previous Covid relief bill. It was reported ( not by me via the radio) that it isn’t being spent pending further money coming or not.
To make an assertion that plans were made or money was/wasn’t provided needs to be backed with actual facts.
Remember, our grandparents and great grandparents had rations during WWII. It got done and during wartime. I’m not one for making excuses but neither am I one to make statements regarding Federal plans and if they are/are not at fault.
Having a strong, easy to use website is fairly low cost and something every state can employ. From there local leadership can make/break delivery. Sure it’s not Fedex but we have a robust mail and shipping service with multiple vendors and cutting edge technology. We can send people to the moon and can’t get vaccines to citizens. Nope, not buying it.
I was asked why I made a statement, I found an article that I based my opinion on. I inadvertently made a political statement within I am deleting in which I was quoting part of the article.
But here is the article without any political statement. I hope it’s allowed.
Check out this article from USA TODAY:
Analysis: What went wrong with COVID-19 vaccine distribution and how it has tarnished the ‘miracle’
Here they keep adding to the groups (1B.2 added teachers to the 65-69 group) so when that group gets called up, it is a bigger group that rushes to get an appointment ANYWHERE. My sister is a teacher and she spent a weekend panicking, she was eligible on Monday, she fretted over the announced order that certain schools were going first, but by Tuesday she had her appointment and within 10 days she had her first shot.
There is talk that the next group, 1b.3, will be split up into smaller groups because it is growing into the millions. Every time a group, especially a unionized group, demands to be moved up in priority, they stick them in 1b.3 - grocery store workers, transportation drivers (those who aren’t in a higher group), restaurant workers…this group already had the 16-64 year olds with 2 health conditions. If the group isn’t split, the systems will crash because of pure volume.
We have a state system but now the mayors and counties are asking for their own vaccine supply to prioritize who they want. Denver mayor wants to vaccinate the homeless, Boulder mayor wants to do his prisoners. The governor is saying no
Political statements are not allowed under TOC.
About FedEx/UPS—they have not been as reliable during the pandemic. Both companies suspended their service guarantees in late March 2020, and have not reinstated them.
On Monday morning, I mailed medication in a refrigerated mailer to my D19. FedEx, “guaranteed” delivery before Tuesday at noon (so they told me). The package still has not arrived, and likely will no longer be good when it does. According to tracking, it is in Tennessee.
Vaccinating millions of people, twice, is a huge logistical puzzle. I think the biggest mistake was in communication. Every word about the vaccine should have been accompanied by an explanation of shortage. Only healthcare workers who work directly with patients in December/January. Only seniors in January/February.
Instead, everyone who works in healthcare in any capacity, including work-from-home, every “frontline” worker, hard-hit communities, teachers, taxi drivers, prisoners, everyone with a preexisting condition—all expected to be prioritized immediately. With vaccine in short supply, you can’t prioritize anyone without taking away from someone else. Even worse, these decisions are not in the hands of public health professionals but politicians who want to be reelected.
When the shortage is resolved, all will be resolved. Thank goodness we have such an effective vaccine. Just pump it out as fast as possible, add the J&J, and I will do my best to be more patient!
USPS delivery has also been seen as less reliable, as per another thread in these forums.
Also, the freezing requirement for the vaccine storage means that a few vaccine vials cannot just be put in a box and put on a delivery truck to some small primary care practice.
From the mass vaccination sites in MA:
For a better experience please use the latest version of the following browsers. Chrome, Safari, or Firefox
Restaurant workers, Door Dash delivery people, and Uber drivers, too. Which…can’t anyone sign up and just drive their neighbor around the block? Is that enough to qualify? I think it might be.
I just snagged an appointment for this weekend. It is in a heavily minority area- maybe the stats on vaccine acceptance among that population is a factor? It appeared to be the only place with openings on the entire MA site at that moment. I had preregistered at Walgreen’s which helped.
Now I am nervous, going to an unfamiliar area, and I tend to react to foods, meds and shots. Have a call in to my doctor for advice- late Friday afternoon, with apologies!
Bring your epi pen. And good luck. Glad you have a spot.
Congrats on the appointment @compmom.
@compmom I am so happy to hear that you got your appointment! Thanks for sharing the scheduling journey.
Which minorities? Black people tend to be more vaccine hesitant, while Asian people tend to be less vaccine hesitant, than the overall population, in surveys on the matter. However, political party leaning is also a strong correlate of vaccine hesitancy.
This is mostly a black community. I hope I am not taking a slot from a front line worker though my daughter reminds me I am old and have many health issues! Still, I am not working and don’t have to take the T and can stay in my small apartment alone indefinitely, safely. I just want to see my kids!
I preregistered at Stop and Shop, CVS and Walgreen’s which helped. I also tried those stores with zip codes closer to me but Mattapan popped up. There were 37 slots and I left for a minute and when I returned there were 2. I am hoping it is Moderna. My doc is prescribing an Epi-pen refill now. I would love to be closer to a hospital I know but for second dose I will try for that. Good luck everyone!
In a zero-sum scarcity situation, you are taking a slot from someone. But you do not know whether that someone is a front line worker in that community, or someone else from outside the community looking for a vaccine all across the state (and is not afraid of visiting an area with Black people to get the vaccine).
@compmom, I have to admit that I usually have been in agreement with @ucbalumnus on this topic I’m not sure if I agree with him or not on this one because I’m not really sure what he’s saying 
But you are eligible for the vaccine and found an appointment. I think that if you are offered a dose, you should take that opportunity. I’m with you in wanting to see your children and your mom’s situation.
My mom’s friend has many allergies and was very fearful of getting the vaccine. But her desire to leave the purgatory that she’s currently in won. She was very nervous (obviously) but everything went very well.
I am wishing that your experience will be the same and I am rooting for you.
If you are in an eligible category under your state rules and you are able to get a slot, you should take it. There is no guarantee that, if you decided not to take it out of guilt or idealism, that it would go to someone who needs it more than you. The more (and more quickly) people are vaccinated, the better off we will all be.
Vaccine shaming those who are following the rules they didn’t make is counterproductive (you’re not doing this but others are).
To MA folks: Walgreen’s has a lot of slots right now. Some locations won’t schedule dose 1 because they don’t have enough for dose 2. But I just switched mine to a city location half the distance from me of the other one, where there were a lot of slots and they scheduled both (Chelsea). Preregister with the drug store chains, and write down all the zip codes of pharmacies you would go to. The Walgreen’s site also suggests a few locations.
Chelsea is near my hospital, MGH, so I feel safer!
May be useful for some people: