Wednesday’s news that people 65 and older can get the coronavirus vaccine has sparked millions of older Californians and their families.
But on Thursday, they were not greeted with needles or appointments, but with busy phone lines, overwhelming websites and doctors who said they had little idea when they could give senior patients vaccinations. Information seems scarcer than the vaccine itself.
Kaiser Permanent patients reported receiving a message that they would have to wait as long as four hours to talk to someone who could schedule an appointment.
They were more fortunate than Sutter Health patients, who said they found the phone lines down, along with the healthcare provider’s website.
And Stanford Health Care patients said their website and cell phone programs work, but they have scarce information about seniors’ vaccinations available.
The frustration escalated Thursday amid the explosion of vaccines in the Bay Area and across California.
“There is no information available or anyone who can tell us about it,” Vijay Khasat, an 80-year-old insulin-dependent diabetic from Hayward, said in an email. “We contacted our healthcare providers who also gave us the silent treatment.”
Carolee Ziegenhagen, 74, of Alameda, said her sister in Florida received her first shot last week and the second is scheduled for Feb. 3. Meanwhile, she can get no answer from her doctors, medical group, insurers or pharmacy. .
“I would like to know when I can register for myself,” she said.
In Richmond, Mayor Tom Butt said he could not get any information from his supplier, Kaiser, about when he could sign up for a vaccine.
Butt, 76, said he signed up on the Contra Costa County website Wednesday morning.
“I’m a little puzzled, I do not hear anything from Kaiser,” he said. “I went to their website and found nothing there.”
Late Thursday afternoon, Kaiser Permanente Northern California announced that it would contact all members 65 and older to discuss the availability of vaccines, but warned that supply was limited.
A Sutter Health spokeswoman acknowledged Thursday night that phone lines were flooded and that website problems were being investigated, although both were working. Patients who are eligible for vaccinations should now be able to plan it.
“Right now, Sutter is giving priority to the state’s most vulnerable population, including those over the age of 75 and our community health workers,” said spokeswoman Angeline Sheets. Sutter’s phone appointment line will be staffed during the three-day weekend and schedule will be available soon via the online portal.
We are committed to vaccinating our members as soon as possible, given the available stock. Due to the high demand, we are experiencing high call volumes and longer waiting times. We appreciate your patience as we work hard to meet this question. https://t.co/QjsqxfTBxN
– KPN NorthernCal (@kpnorcal) 14 January 2021
Spokeswoman Elizabeth Fernandez told UCSF that the health system had sent messages to members about the status of vaccines, including the “limited and sporadic” offer. “We almost vaccinated our health workers,” she said. On Friday, she said: “We are starting with our primary care patients aged 75 and over, and we hope to move on to patients aged 65 to 74 soon.”
San Francisco supervisor Matt Haney said the city was wrong by relying on healthcare providers – hospitals and doctors – to deliver the vaccinations. Instead of ensuring that vaccines get into the guns faster, he said the city’s health department should start mass vaccination sites in places like stadiums, arenas, parking lots and parks, as other cities have done.
“The current situation is just outrageous,” he said. “We have known this for months, and there does not seem to be a clear plan for widespread distribution through public health.”
A representative of the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said the Department of Health is vaccinating patients over 65 in the city’s health network into two clinics. “As more vaccine becomes available, it will be scaled to other clinics,” the representative said, adding that the city is “working with private healthcare providers” to find additional facilities and to accelerate vaccination.
The frustration for Bay Area residents contributes to the knowledge that friends in other provinces and states are getting vaccinated while waiting or waiting to refresh their web browsers.
While people over the age of 75 can get vaccinations in Fresno County, Haney said, “My parents, who are 92 and 93” and live in San Francisco, can’t even get information. ‘
Some of the lucky ones who can get answers are not very happy with it.
Allen Podell, an 83-year-old engineer, lives in Palo Alto, 3 miles from Stanford Hospital. But when he started digging deep to find out where he could possibly get vaccinated, Stanford Health recommended Pinole, Danville and south of San Jose – that’s all he was not prepared to drive.
“So I’m just nailed,” he said. ‘No one else will take me, so I have to wait for Stanford, but they took the ball again. I’m 83, almost 84, so I learned to be patient. But it’s really a matter of life or death for us. I can imagine these guys sitting around fiddling. ‘
‘We are held accountable to our country for our vaccine supply and for whom we vaccinate. We were instructed yesterday that we may start vaccinating patients aged 75 and older. We have actively prepared for the opportunity to vaccinate our patients, ‘said Dr. Niraj Sehgal, chief medical officer for Stanford Health Care, said in a statement.
Merle Kahree, 71, a retired television news writer, lives in San Francisco, where her doctor told her he would not receive a vaccine to give to patients until June.
“And this is just the first dose,” she said.
Kahree said she knows the spread of the vaccine will be slow, but thinks there will be at least general information so people will know what to expect.
“I just want guidance,” she said. ‘How long do I have to isolate myself at home? But I know I’m happy. I’m healthy – I think – and I have a roof over my head. ”
Michael Cabanatuan is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ctuan