Denver: Howard Jones, who’s 83, was on the phone for three to four hours every day trying to sign up for a coronavirus vaccine.
Jones, who lives alone in Colorado Springs, doesn’t have the internet, and that’s made it much more difficult for him to make an appointment. It took him about a week. He said the confusion has added to his anxiety about catching what could be a life-threatening disease at his age.
“It has been hell,” Jones said. “I’m 83 and to not have the use of a computer is just terrible.”
As states across the US roll out the COVID-19 vaccine to people 65 and older, senior citizens are scrambling to figure out how to sign up to get their shots. Many states and counties ask people to make appointments online, but glitchy websites, overwhelmed phone lines and a patchwork of fast-changing rules are bedeviling older people who are often less tech-savvy, may live far from vaccination sites and are more likely to not have internet access at all, especially p
Inside the Emotional Rollercoaster of Administering the Vaccine Slate 12/22/2020
is a series of dispatches exploring the rollout of COVID-19 immunizations. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Betsy Elswick, a pharmacist and associate professor at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, who has been administering the COVID-19 vaccine at pop-up clinics. The conversation has been transcribed, condensed, and edited for clarity by Rachael Allen.
I’ve been in practice 20 years, and this past week was the most emotional but satisfying work week I’ve had in my entire life. We knew the vaccine was coming, and we were prepared to give it as soon as it arrived. When we got the vaccine, there were definitely some tears shed.
is a series of dispatches exploring the rollout of COVID-19 immunizations. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Betsy Elswick, a pharmacist and associate professor at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy who has been administering the COVID-19 vaccine at pop-up clinics. The conversation has been transcribed, condensed, and edited for clarity by Rachael Allen.
I’ve been in practice 20 years, and this past week was the most emotional but satisfying workweek I’ve had in my entire life. We knew the vaccine was coming, and we were prepared to give it as soon as it arrived. When we got the vaccine, there were definitely some tears shed.
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West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and others leading the state’s response to the ongoing pandemic received some of the first doses of Pfizer’s vaccine during a Monday evening live stream event.
Those getting the vaccine included state coronavirus czar Dr. Clay Marsh, Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Bill Crouch, state health officer Dr. Anyne Amjad and Maj. Gen. James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard.
“The last 10 months have been tough on a lot of people, especially those that we ve lost and all their loved ones, “ Justice said. “We can never have more compassion or should be saying more and more prayers for those we lost. It s been tough, it s really been tough. We re going to get through this.”