My mother is 89 and has heart failure , diabetes and high bp. Today she is eligible for vaccine but it’s only being distributed in vaccination centers . I made appointment for Friday but leery about taking her since I fear it will still be long lines and standing outside in cold or inside ....she can barely walk let alone stand ...plus it's not clear I can accompany her ....anyone have any advice ...I’m thinking of canceling and waiting for when more private appointments are available ...there is no one to contact so I’m contacting the politicians in Brooklyn NY to see how the elderly are supposed to navigate this ...any advice?
My primary doctor had called us, and she plans to get her shipment sometime in the near future. She only schedules one client at a time, so no lines or sitting with a lot of other people in the waiting room.
I rather get the vaccine through her, then deal with trying to schedule appointments through the county health center, stand in long lines which are hard on me, and possibly being infected by someone not knowing they have the virus.
In the suburbs, they do have vaccinations available on a drive through basis. My sister is looking into that. We could do that for her.
I think by Friday, you should be able to scope out what the situation is at the site where you have your appointment.
I'm assuming (but I think it's a fair assumption) that your system will be broadly similar to ours, and that all of these mass vaccination clinics are being run on the same lines: your appointment will be a 20 minute time slot which allows for 15 minutes post-jab observation; you will be in and out of there like can of peas on a production line. Just don't be late! - but avoid arriving early, too, which I know is tricky. How will you be getting her there?
We were sat in the sports hall of a large leisure centre, on plastic school chairs which we were given wipes to wipe down after we got up. All of the doors were open for ventilation so yes it was FREEZING - make sure she's got a good coat, warm hat and boots and gloves, but underneath have her clothing loose enough to pull down from her shoulder.
Ring the centre and ask about accompanying her - if you have or can borrow a wheelchair so much the better. Or you might find there's a FAQ section on a website somewhere: who's organising the centres?
I’ve thought about and researched the vaccines since the discussion about them began. The actual RESEARCH is a decade older.
I have thought “long and hard”. There were many people at the vaccination site yesterday who had to have been above the age of 90, were using assistive mobility devices, and some were morbidly obese.
Choosing a vaccine over the risk of consequences of Covid at the age of 90, I have no concerns about the vaccine being a reasonable choice.
Thinking out loud.
Seems dangerous to get a vaccination if one could already have Covid. Screening for a high temperature would eliminate more of the risk, imo.
If you have a TIMED appointment you may be surprised how well the timing is respected and managed.
I think I spent about 6 minutes standing outside. Everything inside moved like clockwork.
Why not go, and if it seems unsafe you can cancel? Hopefully you’ll sail right through, as they should have had plenty of time to work out the logistics.