Obtaining a vaccination slot is tough for the computer averse. Greenbelters who don’t belong to an organized health care provider like an HMO must get their shots by hook or by crook. A letter on Saturday, February 13 from County Executive Angela Alsobrooks promises that restructuring is underway but meanwhile the county remains last in the state, far behind other local jurisdictions, in percentage of population vaccinated (Prince George’s: 5 percent, Montgomery: 10 percent, Kent: 20 percent, Baltimore City: 10 percent). County bulletins are available at princegeorgescountymd.gov/2401/News-Center.
In the following stories, names have been changed but the events are real.
Shot Seeking
Samantha Savvy is in her mid-eighties and has health issues. Her family organized curbside grocery pickup and signed her up at the county health
department. But no dice. With online assistance from a friend, she got a CVS appointment 60 miles away in Leonardtown where she received swift and courteous service.
Vladimir Vaxworthy – a 72-year-old computer geek with 1C priority – got onto the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) list on January 27 and was vaccinated at the UMMS Prince George’s Hospital in Cheverly on February 1. He feels guilty that higher-priority people remain unvaccinated but says he’d have been a fool to turn down the chance. With so many 1B requestors still without shots, it seems UMMS may not be prioritizing by age.
For Pippa Coronova, a healthy 1C in her late sixties, multiple forays to access pharmacy and the Six Flags sites were unsuccessful. Though her son saw openings at Six Flags around 7 a.m. one day, all were gone in less than half an hour. Update: Coronova finally got a late February appointment at the Greenbelt Safeway.
In perhaps the most telling vignette, a 93-year-old resident was told by her doctor to wait patiently for a shot. Despite being registered on a number of sites, she has not received an appointment – which somewhat contradicts the claims of prioritization. In fact, only sites that pre-register can prioritize. Sites like pharmacies and Six Flags schedule in real time – so there’s no way to choose the most deserving.
Strategies
The information included here is based only on anecdotal evidence. No guarantees are offered.
Web addresses for stores and hospitals are at coronavirus.maryland.gov – click on “Find a Vaccine.” Once a location and search radius are entered, the sites are listed with contact information – whether or not they have availability.
Any Maryland location can be used to search – it’s not necessary to stick to Greenbelt. County health departments accept only residents of their county but pharmacy and hospital sources are available to everyone (one Ellicott City couple apparently got his and her shots in Ocean City and Frostburg, respectively).
Play to Win
This list covers only some of the possibilities. A FaceBook page called “Maryland Vaccine Hunter” also offers suggestions.
– Register where possible. This includes (but may not be limited to) the Prince George’s County Health Department, UMMS, Luminis Health (which runs Doctors Hospital), Adventist Hospital and MedStar. If required to select only one location, consider signing up multiple times with a different location each time.
– Of the pharmacy sites, Giant tells you after requesting a few screens of information, that they have no appointments available so what would happen next is unknown.
– CVS has an “umbrella” gateway showing availability in Maryland and Virginia (the button to sign up is in the list box if there’s availability). If there’s a slot, use its location as the geographic search criterion. If the website registers an error, it’s likely too busy. Start over and keep trying until the “umbrella” summary shows no availability.
– Walgreens first requires establishment of an account, but then displays availability within 25 miles of a location without further questions when accessed.
– Six Flags appointments apparently appear early in the day and are rapidly snapped up.
Timing is a Factor
Sites add appointments for only a couple of days ahead because of uncertainty in the vaccine supply – likely early in the morning and stepping forward day by day. Consider setting the alarm for o-dark-thirty.
Volunteer to Help
Consider volunteering to help a vulnerable older person and be prepared for a siege. Vulnerable individuals may not advertise their plight, so ask around older friends. Family members helping older relatives in other ways may not realize how daunting this particular task is.
Facilitators need personal information for registration. Sites vary in their demands but birthdate, comorbidities, mother’s maiden name, Medicare or insurance numbers, home address and home and cell phone numbers may be required. Use the facilitator’s contact information to receive communications for those not electronically inclined – or emailed and time-sensitive sign-up links may be missed. A life may be saved.
Volunteers can offer to drive or help their friends find someone who can. Appointments may not be nearby and the recipient may be safer accompanied on a long drive home, in case of reactions.
