Metro Health dropped the ball on waitlist
Re: “Waitlists for vaccinations needed here,” Editorial, Saturday
I am disappointed San Antonio is the only major city in Texas to not have a COVID-19 registration. I have been asking for a registration since vaccines became available, and two weeks ago at City Council, I called for a vote on the issue, which failed 7-4. This proposal will be heard at the next scheduled Community Health & Equity committee, but time is of the essence and more must be done.
Metro Health officials have said maintaining a registration is not a best practice and anxieties would not be eased. I disagree. Health authorities across Texas agree with me — and the countless individuals who have called my office to voice their frustration with our current system. The public understands there is an extreme lack of vaccine supply. We know not everyone who signs up will be able to get an appointment for some time, but forcing our community, primarily our senior and disabled residents, to call for hours on end is like playing the lottery. One might have a better chance playing the lottery.
Let me be clear, this proposal will not guarantee someone a specific time or date to receive the vaccine. Rather, this system would add eligible persons to a list, and these individuals will receive a phone call or text for their appointment as vaccines become available. This will not change eligibility requirements, or push one group over the other, but it would alleviate the stress put on our community members who have to make thousands of calls just to get through. I have made over 1,000 calls over several days, and my wife and I were not able to obtain an appointment. A registration system would give our residents the security of knowing “I’m on the list, and I’m going to get a call when it’s my turn, telling me where I need to go, when I need to be there, and what I need to do.”
Metro Health officials have said equity is one of its guiding pillars. However, not having a registration system has only provided for inequitable distribution of the vaccine. Working individuals are unable to spend hours on end calling, and those with limited technology miss out on available slots. We’ve seen this clearly in the data skewing who has been able to get an appointment under our current system. Your ability to get this vaccine should not be determined by your ability to sit by a phone 24/7. Also, if this program were to be implemented, we should ensure we have people knocking on doors in neighborhoods that have limited ability to call or get online so they can be signed up for an appointment.
More than 300,000 individuals have signed up for appointments through Harris County and 400,000 through Austin’s system. Bexar County also ranks first in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vulnerability Index, which considers poverty, access to transportation, housing and health care in measuring a community’s need for support in response to the pandemic. How can we rank first in this system and still be the last city to implement a registration system?
The Express-news Editorial Board recently pointed out that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, lists “registration and check-in processes” among its “critical considerations” for vaccine collaboration with local health departments.
If not for easing the minds of San Antonio, a registration system should also help San Antonio secure more vaccinations through FEMA’S Community Vaccination Centers. Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff asked FEMA to set up a mass vaccination site in San Antonio last month. FEMA has since set up a vaccination site in Houston and the Dallas-fort Worth area, all areas that have registrations, but not San Antonio.
The people of San Antonio have made it clear that a waitlist system is a top priority. My office has received calls every day asking when the city will follow suit with the rest of Texas. It’s time for Metro Health to do the right thing and implement a registration system as soon as possible.