Vaccine process stymies older citizens

How disheartening to be an elderly New Yorker. After 11 months of masks, social distancing, little to no physical contact with friends and family, and perpetual fear of contracting COVID -19, the long awaited vaccine has finally arrived. Sadly, for many, it has been virtually impossible to make an appointment for vaccination.

My parents are 84 and 86 years of age. Neither is computer literate, so navigating the already cumbersome ny.gov/covid website is not an option. Further, the hotline was down for days. So, no one without a computer could get any information on the vaccine through the state. My parents have spent hours calling their doctors' offices and more than a dozen pharmacies in pursuit of vaccination. They are frustrated and confused.

The vaccination process should have been handled by age, beginning with those older than 80 and working down in five- or 10-year increments.

This would have ensured that the most vulnerable were vaccinated first. Instead, New York created a competitive situation for an already limited supply.

Finally, after weeks of trying, I was able to schedule them for vaccination — 100 miles away in Utica. However, I wonder how many seniors do not have friends or family to help navigate this quagmire? It is unconscionable that the state did not make provisions to handle the flood of phone calls and computer traffic. If the elderly and most vulnerable are a priority for the current leadership, it is critical they immediately address these problems which were of their own making.