There’s help for Whatcom seniors who aren’t tech-savvy and want the COVID-19 vaccine
Whatcom County seniors struggling to get a COVID-19 vaccine are wondering how they’re going to book an appointment if they don’t have a computer or can’t navigate the internet to find information online, as they’ve been told to do to avoid jamming providers’ phone lines.
And those who don’t drive wonder how they’re supposed to travel long distances for a shot, as their peers who have found appointments in Bothell, Oak Harbor and Skagit County are doing.
“I’m physically able to do everything myself, but I don’t use the computer and I don’t have a car,” Marlene Hadley, an 85-year-old Bellingham resident, said to The Bellingham Herald. “That’s my problem, too, is getting somewhere, unless it’s on my regular bus route.”
That leaves seniors like Hadley wondering what to do.
The vaccine rollout has been slow and bumpy nationwide including in Whatcom, where providers are saying they’re not getting enough doses for those currently eligible for vaccination. Anxious residents have at times crashed phone lines trying to get an appointment and have been told to look to providers’ websites instead or wait for their doctor to contact them.
Some Whatcom County residents describe a herky-jerky effort to get the coveted shots, fed by word-of-mouth from friends.
Friends have told Hadley, that they’ll drive her if need be.
“But you don’t get an appointment unless you can use the computer,” she said.
Hadley isn’t alone in her concern. The Northwest Regional Council has been hearing from a lot of worried seniors who aren’t tech-savvy. Seniors are vulnerable to the respiratory illness, making up the bulk of hospitalizations and deaths.
“Our Aging and Disability Resource Center has received an increase in the volume of calls from frustrated and confused older adults looking for vaccinations. Our staff in that department are utilizing the state Department of Health guidance to help community members find their phase,” said Ryan Blackwell, business development manager for Northwest Regional Council, in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
Because the vaccine supply is limited, the rollout is occurring in phases to target those most vulnerable first.
Under the state’s current phased approach, those now eligible include people 65 years and older, those who are 50 years and older who are living in multi-generational households, first responders, health care workers and people who live or work in long-term care facilities.
“If community members do not have access to technology, our staff are helping people to navigate the online system and to try to schedule an appointment,” Blackwell said. “ However, our (Aging and Disability Resource Center) is stretched to keep up with the demand and it is really a stalemate at the present time given the lack of supply.”
The Whatcom County Health Department also has recommendations for older residents who don’t have a computer or have trouble navigating the internet.
They should call the state Department of Health toll-free hotline at 800-525-0127 or 888-856-5816.
“Call takers can tell people which providers in their area are listed on the Vaccine Locations list, and give them the contact information for those sites,” said Cindy Hollinsworth, Communicable Disease and Epidemiology manager at the Whatcom County Health Department, to The Herald on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
The Whatcom County Health Department also is working on a solution, for when the vaccine allotment increases.
“We will soon be ready to share details about our plans to provide the vaccine to home-bound residents and seniors without transportation,” Hollinsworth said.
At a virtual town hall meeting on Thursday night, Feb. 4, about vaccine availability and distribution, Whatcom County Health Department Director Erika Lautenbach discussed starting a small pilot with a mobile vaccine clinic at adult family homes, provided vaccine doses are available next week.
“Our intention is that this mobile clinic model will be used to serve other vulnerable populations,” Lautenbach said, adding that officials were still developing criteria to determine where the mobile clinic would go.
