Coronavirus vaccine has arrived, but frustrated Americans are struggling to sign up

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Mon, 2021-01-04 09:49 — mike kraft

Coronavirus vaccine has arrived, but frustrated Americans are struggling to sign up In one striking image, Florida health departments offering doses on a first-come, first-served basis saw scores of senior citizens bring lawn chairs and camp out overnight. Brittany Shammas, Lori Rozsa Washington Post

Barbara Shlevin has kept a running tally of calls she made in search of the coronavirus vaccine. By Wednesday, she had tried the health department and a hospital system in Broward County, Fla., 184 times.

Only once did the 71-year-old retired librarian get through. She said she waited more than 10 minutes, and finally heard a voice on the other end of the line. Then, the call cut off. So, she started trying online.

For days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced that the potentially lifesaving vaccine would be available to seniors, Shlevin had no idea when she and her husband would have a chance at it.

“You had at least six months to get ready. You could have figured out a better way to do this,” said Shlevin, of Pompano Beach, Fla. “It shouldn’t be this hard.”

After months of anticipation, millions of doses of the two authorized coronavirus vaccines — made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — are flowing into hospitals and health departments across the nation, putting the end of the pandemic in sight. But Americans trying to access shots are encountering systems that vary widely county to county and that, in many places, are overwhelmed.

Some counties and hospital systems launched reservation websites, only for them to quickly become booked or crash. Others announced appointments only through Facebook, with slots filling before some residents knew to look. And many have not revealed how the vaccine will be made available to anyone beyond health-care workers and long-term care residents and employees, the focus of the first round of vaccinations.

In one striking image, Florida health departments offering doses on a first-come, first-served basis saw scores of older residents bring lawn chairs and blankets and camp out overnight.

On Sunday, Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s effort to expedite development and delivery of vaccines, mostly deflected questions about the lag in administering shots, saying on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that his team is available for requests from states for assistance. ...

ALSO SEE: As the Virus Spikes, Vaccine Distribution Is One More Hurdle for States --NY Times

AND: More than 4.2 million Americans have been given their first Covid-19 vaccine. Experts say the US needs to go faster -CNN

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