For Long Island seniors, vaccine is an elusive elixir

The messages are heartbreaking, as frustration, sadness, anxiety and desperation seep from every voice.

"I really don’t know what to do anymore," said one.

"I’m exhausted," said several.

"Please help."

"All we would like is to have our shots."

To Long Island’s seniors: We hear you.

When the Newsday editorial board asked its readers on Tuesday to call or email with their stories and suggestions on their attempts to get the COVID-19 vaccine, we were quickly flooded with replies, some tearful, others angry. Nearly 600 people spoke out via email or telephone message in just a few days.

Together, the responses paint a devastating picture. What’s clear is this isn’t just a supply issue, although the limited number of doses coming from the federal government hasn’t helped. Instead, Long Island’s seniors are worried about the most fundamental issues: How, when and where they can get an appointment, and how to reach the appointment location and handle the experience. For so many individuals, the situation adds stress and pain, when they’re already gripped by other ailments, and the isolation and fear from the pandemic itself.

Much of the problem lies in how and where New York State is administering the vaccines, and the appointment-making mechanisms that seem to fail more than they succeed.

President Joe Biden, in his first week in office, pledged that 200 million more doses will be coming, and that states will know their supply weeks in advance. That will allow more appointments to be scheduled. Now, state and local officials have to improve the process: announce when sites will open with new slots, add sites, and develop partnerships with local nonprofits and service agencies to help transport people.

Hundreds of our older, most vulnerable residents say they’ve been unable to get appointments for vaccinations after hours spent on the phone or online. Dozens more, who don’t have a computer or smartphone, or can’t use the internet, don’t know where to turn.

Then there are those who do find appointments, only to discover they’re in upstate Plattsburgh or Potsdam. Even the regional state sites at Jones Beach or Stony Brook or Aqueduct are problematic for local seniors who don’t drive, have difficulty walking or can’t sit or stand for long.

There are some success stories. Veterans said they’ve been able to get appointments through the Veterans Affairs at Northport. And others who got lucky wanted to give advice to fellow seniors, like trying at off-hours.

But those happy endings are few and far between.

Importantly, Long Island seniors have many thoughts on how the state and counties can help them.

Among their good ideas:

• Create a one-time only registration form on the state’s online portal, so individuals don’t have to put in identifying information over and over again. Allow couples to register together, so they don’t have to make appointments at separate times or separate locations.
• Improve the phone hotline capacity, and create one just for seniors. The state says it does have a method of prioritizing those 75 and older, but many say they end up on hold for an hour — only to be disconnected.
• Consider creating an alternative registration system both by phone and online, where seniors would provide their information and be placed on a priority list based on age and other factors. They could be given a number, and a way to check where they are on the list, and could indicate how far they can travel. The system could act as a wait list and automatically contact individuals with appointments at nearby locations when they open up.
• Develop vaccination sites in individual neighborhoods, closer to home. For seniors who can’t drive, or can’t stand for long periods of time, it’s imperative that there be options at nearby libraries, firehouses, pharmacies, senior centers, or doctor’s offices. And across Long Island, there are large residential complexes open only to those 55 and over, such as the ones in Ridge. Bring mobile units to their clubhouses, where hundreds or thousands of seniors could be vaccinated on the spot.
• Cover more of the Island with sites, small and large, at parks or other locations. Those on the East End and Nassau County’s North Shore, for instance, have nothing nearby.
• For seniors on dialysis, or receiving chemotherapy, or other treatments, provide the vaccines at those regular appointments.
• Utilize mayors, town supervisors, community organizations, and others on-the-ground to improve communication.
• Prioritize new appointments within the 65 and over cohort, so that the oldest and most vulnerable move to the front. What about starting at age 100 and counting down?

Long Island’s seniors say they don’t know where to turn, or who to talk to, or even what to hope for. We don’t have a secret appointment hotline. We can’t deliver vaccines. But we can use our voice to deliver your messages, and to push for change.

— The editorial board