IMMIGRANT SENIORS NEED VACCINE HELP

Last month, during one of my routine Sunday calls with my elderly immigrant parents, I learned that they didn’t know they were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. My parents asked me a list of questions, including: Where can we get the vaccine? What if our doctor doesn’t have it yet? And how do we schedule an appointment? They proceeded to ask me to schedule them an appointment.

While I would have loved to help them, I had a difficult time answering their questions since we live in different counties and appointment procedures differ across counties. After a thorough search and scrounging of the San Diego County public health website, I had some answers, but was unable to book them an appointment due to limited availability.

As a child of immigrants, I am well-versed at helping my parents navigate health systems; however, this experience is much more difficult. I found that even though my parents are now eligible to be vaccinated, the process to actually receive the vaccine is complex and troublesome. Unfortunately, stories like mine are not uncommon for immigrant seniors looking to be vaccinated.

Such stories are all over Twitter. On Jan. 22, American historian Michael Beschloss tweeted, “Who is trying to get a COVID-19 vaccine and can’t get one?” This prompted Telly Leung, an actor, to respond, “I navigated the complex websites for my ESL immigrant parents (65+) in New York City and finally got them both appointments. The day before their appointment, they were notified it was canceled due to lack of vaccines.”

As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to more people, a number of immigrant seniors and their children assisting them have reported similar issues, such as language barriers, spending hours on securing appointments and making calls that go unanswered. In Los Angeles County, COVID-19 vaccines were available to individuals age 65 and older starting Jan. 21, but appointments for vaccination slots online were extremely limited with some booked out until March. It is essential for older immigrants to have access to the vaccine, as they are highly vulnerable to poor health outcomes from COVID-19.

Appointment availability may not be the only barrier for immigrant seniors. In order to book an appointment, individuals must be able to navigate a complex website with limited translations available and appointment slots or must call a phone number listed on the county’s website. Language barriers can be a huge deterrent for older immigrants navigating this process, as they are likely to have limited English proficiency. In addition, to successfully book an appointment, one must check the websites often for updates and be technologically savvy. Lastly, there are also logistical barriers to receiving the vaccine, such as setting up transportation, finding the site and waiting in long lines.

Luckily for some immigrant seniors, they can rely on their children to help them book their appointments. Those without this support or limited English proficiency must learn to navigate the system themselves or, more likely, do without.

With society’s increasing reliance on the internet and with this pandemic, knowing how to use the internet is more important than ever. There are differences in abilities as it relates to use of digital devices and although internet use has increased among all older adults, an estimated 27 percent still do not use the internet. Immigrants of color, particularly those with limited English proficiency, those who are low-income and those with lower levels of education, are particularly vulnerable to digital inequities. One study that had support from the National Science Foundation found that ethnic minority groups and Medicaid recipients are less likely to use online patient portals. Overall, differences in digital skills and language barriers can hinder senior immigrants from having access to information and receiving health care services during the pandemic.

Immigrants are already more likely to experience disproportionate effects from COVID-19, and will now likely suffer further inequity due to inadequate online health systems. With the current system, age and immigration status will likely limit vaccine access.

To achieve a more equitable vaccination system for senior immigrants, changes need to be made. Mobile health clinics, which have been shown to be cost-effective and reduce health disparities in underserved groups, should be used for vaccine campaigns in communities. To address the current appointment system, in-person centers and call systems in multiple languages need to be accessible for this population. These changes could ultimately help reduce problems with the current system and reduce inequities for senior immigrants nationwide.

I am currently working on the UCLA Against COVID-19 Project with a team of faculty and students from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. The project works to provide clear, reliable and up-to-date COVID-19 related information in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog for communities in Southern California. For more information, please follow @UCLACOVID19 on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok or Kakao Talk, or check out the website uclacovidinfo.org to download the translated tool kits and prints.

Nguyen, a San Diego native, is a graduate student in public health and social work at UCLA, and lives in Los Angeles.

Appointment availability may not be the only barrier facing immigrant seniors.