No, I am not - loads of moaning here, too, about slow supply, and vaccination centres that had to close early waiting for new doses, and why does everything have to be coordinated across Europe, slowing things down?
It’s just human nature that this isn’t going to be perfect, and cultural issues can be just as much an impediment as a mountain range.
As long as you feel everyone is doing their best. It’s deliberate sabotage that appals me.
I think that’s what is going to happen in the next groups in some states is that the category of frontline essential workers is going to be broadened to frontline or “essential” and that “essential” category is going to be way too broad, depending upon which lobbying groups get their industries included. For instance, should every last state and local employee get the vaccine ahead of people who are being ignored…say the under 75 year olds in many states? That is flat-out wrong. Well, if this pandemic has shown us nothing else, it is that Americans are very selfish. I wouldn’t be surprised if violence erupts over this vaccination snafu once the UK variant really takes hold and the entire vaccination system descends into chaos.
I liked Dr. Gottleib’s continued preference for people being vaccinated based upon age (after the HCW front-line workers and possibly other groups such as public safety, front line workers, etc.). There is no way it’s right for an older person to be prioritized behind some worker who can telework just because they got classified as “essential.”
@momofboiler1 Retired folks may be able to “stay home” mostly but many of them, being elderly like my own parents, have doctors’ appointments that require in person visits, tests and procedures.
You mean stuff like this?
But then what about more essential workers who must work in person (e.g. grocery store workers, tradespeople called to repair things in houses and nursing homes, etc.) and therefore have many chances to be infected or infect others? Where should they be in the queue?
My understanding where I live is that there will be a prioritizing of where people fall as far as essential workers and when they should get it. I saw a list that said attorneys are essential workers. My husband, a retired attorney, died at that. Clearly not all attorneys are essential. Actually most are not essential. But courts do need to open, etc. But having said that, there are way more essential workers that are more at risk and come into contact with the general public than attorneys. Flight attendants, Pilots, TSA, Airport workers. I would bet they come into more contact with the general public than any other profession. Hotel workers and grocery workers as well. These people come into contact with random people on a daily basis. As an educator, yes we come into contact with a lot of kids, but it’s generally the same kids and they are required to wear masks and distance etc. The protocols in the school I work at are way more stringent and enforced than some of these other places.
I also have a hard time with the entire senate and house getting vaccinating before almost everyone else. I get it if you’re a 70 year old at risk person, but a 30 year old health person, not necessary.
@4kids4us I get what you’re saying, but there are two types of retired people. The ones who only want to go out and socialize, have fun, play canasta, tennis, eat at restaurants, and then the ones who need to go to Dr appointments, etc. The ones btw who are going to Dr appts are actually at less risk for getting the virus if they’re only going to Dr appts than the other ones are by socializing, but the ones following the rules by going to Dr appts and staying in, are doing the right thing and not causing the spread.
In my MIL independent facility, residents can only leave or see family members if they’re going to the Dr. Recently a resident tested positive and the option is to go to covid place or stay with relatives. This person was going to stay with relatives and it was a quick turnaround, no one else needed to be concerned about spread in that incident although they have been regularly testing residents. Based on the nature of this positive relative to previous positives and how fast the family acted, it was obvious that this person didn’t just get it from going to the Dr. and the fact they were going to stay at the family’s house meant they probably had been spending time with the family outside of the Dr and got it from a family member. It’s unfortunate when people are breaking the rules because it affects everyone. If only people just sucked it up for a few more months, but of course, everyone justifies in their mind why they do things. Whether it’s a college visit, a plan trip, a holiday gathering, or something else.
Hopefully the vaccine administration will speed up and it won’t be such an issue on people being able to get it. Sometimes I just want to scream and say, why can’t they just set it up in a stadium or convention center or multiple in some cases and say, everyone age 95 and up with the last name beginning with A come at this time. Last name B this time. And get all of those people done. Then move to age 90 and do them and so on. In a structured organized manner. Find the people who can administer the shots, get volunteers in who can navigate the non medical portion of it and get it done like an assembly line if need be. There are so many smart intelligent people in these higher positions, it’s baffling no one can get this going.
Yup, though the man appears to have mental health issues on top of his political views.
Also, political sabotage at the highest levels, undermining mitigation efforts. That one boggles my minds, wherever it happens (and it happens in so many countries, sometimes at governmental level, sometimes below) that is what’s appalling. Not glitches, or honest mistakes.
The news just reported that guy is a conspiracy theorist. Ugh what a crackpot.
Also so concerning, only 17 ICU beds left in LA County!
Some of my friends have been getting emails about signing up to be ‘on the list’ to get the vaccinations. They thought they were from their insurance company or from a pharmacy. They may be scams. I haven’t gotten one. Has anyone else?
The roll out appears to be going well in Houston. The county has appointments scheduled for the month of January, and is expecting more supplies soon so will reopen appointments then. Urgent care centers are getting doses on Thursday and setting up appointments as well. Still on group 1B, those over 65, or younger if they have a condition.
My county has a list and we’re on it. I don’t know about other lists but there are a lot of scams out there. I did get one from a pharmacy but that wasn’t a list, it was only an email to let me know when they have it available.
It’s going well there for people who want it, because so many medical people don’t want it. Makes me constantly shake my head. That’s why we keep thinking my college kid at UT will be getting it there way ahead of everyone else. She knows a ton of anti vaxxers and we already know there’s a huge anti vaxxer movement there. She knows a lot of people who have gotten there without issue in Austin.
Some places are doing fine, better than entire European countries. France only vaccinated ~600 people in the last week. 600 in the whole country!
I understand why hospitals don’t want to separate all the staff out. Some staff float to other departments and while the clerk may not have direct patient contact all the time, there may be times when they do escort a patient or stop to answer questions. I think the person first in line should have been the clerk working the front ‘table’ (not really a desk at the hospital I go to) who asks every patient “Do you have an appointment?” and then puts a wrist band on the person. Constant contact with the public, but always for 1 minute at a time.
A friend got her shot this week. She is an administrator at a nursing home corporate office. You’d think she’d be in a lower priority group because she’s in the corporate office, but they sometimes go to the facilities. Should they be ahead of firefighters or grocery store workers? No, but it is probably too much effort to sort them out.
One of our school districts teamed with a hospital and started vaccinating school nurses, next will be staff and then teachers, starting with k-5. They want to reopen schools (they were open in the fall but had to go to all remote learning in Oct). Yes, it’s one of the wealthier districts.
At the rate Maryland, more specifically the DC area is going right now it’s going to be like 2025 before I’ll even be considered. It has been VERY frustrating for sure.
I do know lots of nurses and even someone in a nursing home who got the vaccine, but the roll out has been very slow and there is very little information as to how they define high risk and how they’ll determine it moving forward.
The largest grocery chain in Texas, HEB, had over 1000 employees trained and prepared to administer shots. That kind of infrastructure really helps.
But those medical folks are the ones who are getting vaccinated now so hopefully that should also protect the retired folks coming for their in person visits.
I live in Maryland - it’s been disappointing for sure. My local state senator has been pressuring Hogan and our county executive for more clarity. The vaccine info posted on the “official” state website was abysmal in its lack of information. I know I’m in one of the last groups but just trying to figure out when my parents, who are 80 and 85, will be eligible!
Hopefully Hogan will have good information today at 5. But I’m really tired of my county exec doing nothing but blaming Maryland. Enough is enough. Work together, lives are at stake. I could give two cares about what you think of each other. Time to grow up.
Well, one would hope. It is extremely slow going here in MD. Only 25% of distributed vaccines have been administered. And not everyone encountered in a doctor’s office is part of the medical staff - there are often other patients as well. When I went for a doctor appointment in November, there were two other patients in the waiting room. One who was coughing, then took off her mask to blow her nose!
Plus, unless the vaccine is required, we don’t actually know whether all staff has been vaccinated when going to medical appointments, but yes, that would be the hope. I don’t know what it’s currently like in my parents’ county, but where I live, so far only 2600 doses have been distributed. Supposedly they are receiving another 5000 in the coming week. Group 1A is “expected to be completed by March 2021.” 1A does not include elderly living on their own.
I do not want to make this a political statement. But I wonder if some of these governors (I’m in Michigan) are waiting for a change in administrations to publicly state how the next phase of the vaccine rollout will go.
The state may have received some guidance on the rollout that they are not privy to divulge right now.
My state says that they are vaccinating only 1A right now, which is frontline medical care and nursing home residents. No other information as to 1B people is available. They state who is 1A and 1B but only the first group right now is being vaccinated.
Every state has its own set of rules