Distribution of the vaccine seems to be a bureaucratic mess. My mother is 90. In South Carolina, her age (over 70) was in group 1B, but was recently moved to 1A - available now. Where to register for the vaccine? Our regional hospital system website has a "click here button" to register. That button takes you to a site that explains that you must have a unique email address in order to register. Can't use someone else's email - they will need theirs to register for their vaccine. My 90 year old mother does not have an email address. But needs to get that first. Not much info requested - name, birth date, work status, phone number, email. Hit submit and you get an email that says request received and don't contact us again. Then wait until you get a second email many days later directing you to sign up for another account and you end up on a CDC website to select a location and time. Takes 2 hours of entering info over and over since it times out waiting for the CDC website to respond. They need all your insurance information (even though you will receive the vaccine at a facility that already has that) and a list of all your drugs. A 90 year old takes a lot of drugs. Got an appointment in 3 weeks. And be sure to bring the printout with the QR code on it or your smartphone with the QR code. She has no computer and no smartphone. I don't see how an older person could do it on their own.
My wife and I are in the over 65 group. In South Carolina, that is in group 1C which they expect to get to in the spring. In Georgia and North Carolina next door, over 65 age is in group 1A - available now. Wonder if we can just get the vaccine in Georgia? Well, it depends on where you go. If you go through the government county health departments, it depends on the county. Some require you to be a county resident or work in the county. Some don't care where you are from. Takes a long time to research that. Then there are some independent pharmacies that have the vaccine that apparently provide it to everyone IF they have doses.
My daughter the veterinarian has struggled with staffing as employees come down with covid or get exposed to covid from family members. She wants the vaccine. In South Carolina, vets are in the last group after everyone else has been offered it. Group 1A includes medical people of all kinds, firemen, athletic trainers, chiropractors, dental staff, optical staff, harbor pilots, dieticians, radiology technicians, speech pathologists, etc. But not vets. She has vet friends in different states. In Alabama, vets are in group 1A - available now. She called the hotline in Alabama and was told that she can get the vaccine there regardless of where she is from. They asked which county she wants to come to and told her that county would contact her to schedule her appointment. Told her it should be just a few days.
We certainly had a lot of time to figure some of this out in the last year. Apparently, not long enough. Just seems an example of where technology and government has failed us in some regards. I remember the new polio vaccine in the late 50's, I think. Just show up and get your vaccine. No groups, no restrictions, no paperwork, no bureaucracy, just show up, get in line and get it done. Just seems over regulated now. Differing restrictions by states with the ability to just register in another state just adds frustrations and increases the cost and inconvenience.
Some said to put Chick-fil-a in charge of distribution and administration. I tend to agree.
Daughter and one employee had Covid last summer. And a recent new exposure. Went to get checked for antibodies from the last summer infection. Test showed no antibodies for either of them. Implications of that are disturbing.
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