A 90-year-old woman apparently walked through a blizzard to receive her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, reports The Seattle Times.
What happened?
According to The Seattle Times, Fran Goldman walked 6 miles – back and forth – through the snow in Seattle to get her vaccination.
- Goldman decided to walk to her appointment after struggling to secure one.
- “I called to make an appointment every morning, every afternoon, and I was often online at night,” Goldman said.
Per NBC News, she finally found an appointment Sunday morning. However, a powerful winter storm hit Seattle on Friday and Saturday, dropping 1 foot of snow into the area.
- According to NBC News, Goldman was still walking to the vaccination appointment “in a pair of trousers and a short-sleeved shirt so the nurse could easily reach her arm.” She also wears a fleece jacket, a down jacket and a rain jacket to protect her from the elements.
Goldman eventually received the vaccination, according to The Associated Press. The whole ordeal surprised her daughter, Ruth Goldman, who lives in Buffalo, New York.
- “We are outside people,” she said. “We like to be outside. I was outside at Lake Ontario yesterday with a 6 degree wind chill. ”
Vaccines and winter storms
Shipments against Coronavirus vaccines will experience “widespread delays” due to the winter storms that plague much of the country, reports The Washington Post. The winter weather conditions slowed the spread of the vaccine, which caused the scheduled appointments to rise. There will also be problems with monitoring storage sites for the vaccine, reports The Washington Post.
- “Due to the severe winter weather that is currently affecting much of the country, the U.S. government is planning widespread delays in the transportation and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines over the next few days,” said Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, The Washington Post said.