My husband and I got our first dose vaccine shot on Saturday. And yes, there is a sense of relief to be at this point a year after it all started. 
March 5, 2020 feels like the last normal day for me. I had lunch in a restaurant with my daughter who is an NP at a Boston hospital. I was anxiously waiting to hear that HIMSS20 would be cancelled and wondered what they were waiting for. I discussed the risks of going with my daughter. I decided during that conversation not to go even if they held it (I got the cancellation notice as we were leaving the restaurant). I asked her about the Coronavirus from a clinical perspective. She said we’re “f’d” and projected 100,000 cases in the U.S. by April 1st. We now know it was to be far worse.
As a frontline healthcare worker, she was fully vaccinated by early January. Two weeks ago, she helped about fifteen of her husband’s 65 years and older family members and their friends navigate the somewhat confusing multiple websites in Massachusetts to schedule first dose appointments.
Here is my Rhode Island story. The vaccination site was a junior high in our town. Overall, it was a smooth process. When we pulled into the parking lot there was a sign that said wait in your car until 5 minutes before your appointment to avoid people crowding at the door. Our town Mayor was there working – that was a pleasant surprise. He took temperatures and asked initial screening questions at the door. I greeted him and commented on the fact that he was working – his somewhat joking reply was, “I have to earn my keep”.
Next, we went to the “check in” table. We gave them our IDs and they looked us up on the list of people scheduled for an appointment that day. The list was in no sort order, so it took a while. We then moved into the gymnasium where there were about eight vaccine stations. Firefighters and EMTs gave the actual shots. My husband was considered to have moderate risk of a reaction, so his PCP advised him to stay for 30-minute observation. When he shared that information, a physician was called over to ask him a few questions before he got the shot.
With information on how to sign up for the CDC’s v-safe app (after vaccination health checker), and our vaccination cards in hand we went to the observation area with many seats set up socially distanced. There were several people wandering around the area offering to help you make your second appointment or you could just use the QR code they provided on posters visible on the backs of the chair in front of you to sign up for 4 weeks out.
If you know me well, you know that I always have an eye out for process improvements. I chatted with a city worker who came by to help us make the next appointment. She recognized us from when we did early voting at city hall the day before (infrastructure spending referendums were on the ballot – we voted yes!). I gave her positive feedback on how the town is doing with the vaccine rollout overall, made two suggestions for process improvements (remember that unsorted list I mentioned?), and told her we would volunteer at a vaccination site once fully vaccinated. She welcomed the suggestions and said they have been making incremental improvements each week at the vaccine sites. She gave me her email address so she could connect me with the volunteer coordinator. After all, it takes a village, and we are willing to do our part to help get more people vaccinated.
What lead up to our vaccine day? If you have read any of my recent blog posts titled “Vaccine rollout – it takes a village”, you know I have been tracking the rollout closely, highlighting best practices, sharing useful resources and articles, and commenting on technology challenges and health disparities.
In January, I was discouraged that Rhode Island seemed far behind – ranking almost last among states in the percent administered, somewhere in the 60% range. We are now closer to the top at 80%.
I had been checking the state website to see when my group (65+) was eligible. The posted schedule said late February following healthcare workers, nursing home residents, and those over 75 years old. There was a document you could look at that shows the groups targeted for the coming week – looking at that it appeared to be a very intentional approach with sub stratified groups such as high-risk correctional officers, high-risk incarcerated persons, community health center staff, targeted group home staff and residents, and people experiencing homelessness. I couldn’t argue with the approach of focusing on some of the most vulnerable populations. At the same time, this may have contributed to the low administration percent early on.
On social media I learned that you could fill out a vaccine information form for our town and then be notified when your group was eligible. I filled it out for us on February 6. A week and a half later, on February 18, we each got a robocall and an email that people 65+ were now eligible and encouraged to go to the town website to make an appointment or call the number provided. The initial form, the robocall, the push email and the sign-up website (Rhode Island is using PrepMod) are in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It was all very easy to do.
We have all heard stories of crashed websites and not knowing where/how to sign up for an appointment, and multiple different sites and lists in every state. Those stories persist. And health disparities persist though with increased focus, many states and organizations are trying to address.
In the end this was a pretty painless process for us as was the actual shot in the arm. I am encouraged that three months into the rollout, vaccine supply and overall logistics have improved significantly with an increased focus on addressing health disparities. The daily rate of vaccinations hit over 2 million this week. Even more encouraging was the announcement this week that there will be enough vaccine supply for all adults by the end of May, months sooner than expected. And the J&J single dose vaccine could be a game changer making the rollout easier and reaching many more communities and local administration sites.
When you are eligible, I encourage you to get the vaccine. Soon we can all start imagining how life will be different post pandemic.
Related Posts:
Vaccine rollout – it takes a village, part 3