Americans over the age of 65 are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in numerous states, but for many it is a nightmare to try to get it. Some senior citizens have had to travel hundreds of miles to get their shots, and others say it is difficult to secure an appointment.
According to The Wall Street Journal, people in Texas are signing up for several lists in grocery stores and clinics in hopes of finding a lock. In Nevada, online registrations bump hopefully from provincial sites to state sites and back.
“I can figure out how to learn calculus,” said Lisa Crosby, of Reno, Nevada. “But I can not figure out how to get my parents vaccinated.” Only about 40% of the vaccines distributed by the US have been administered, and while thirty countries now allow those over the age of 65 to join the vaccination list with health workers and first responders, the process has many of them left frustrated.
In Illinois, 67-year-old Wheelchair-bound Bryan Harvey had little luck finding an online appointment in his country. Eventually, his son stepped in and worked day and night to secure a vaccine for his father, eventually sticking to a slot after repeatedly pressing the refresh button, according to the Journal.
Brain Ortiz, 65, reported every night at midnight to get his COVID-19 vaccine. So far, the retired counselor in the high school in Oceanside, New York, could only get appointments from his home hours.
According to Kaiser Health News, people who are not computer literate and may not even have access to computers or smartphones, and those who have not been transported, face an uphill battle to be vaccinated.
While states across the U.S. are launching the COVID-19 vaccine for people 65 and older, seniors are figuring out how to sign up to get their shots, according to reports. Most provinces require individuals to request their shots online, but many older people find the complicated procedures intoxicating, and others do not have access to the internet, especially not coloreds and the poor.
Dr. Anand Iyer, an Alabama pulmonologist, has a clinic for more than 200 needy adults and says 70% of them are black and much older.
“I would estimate that between 10% and 20% miss the vaccines because they are at home, living alone, not having transportation or not having reliable social connections,” he said according to KHN. “Unfortunately, these are the same factors that put them at risk for poor COVID-19 results.”
Language issues are also an obstacle, says Yanira Cruz, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging. ‘I am very concerned that older adults who are not fluent in English, who do not have a family member to help them navigate online and who do not have access to private transport will be left out during the current implementation. , “she said.
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