Wednesday’s news that people 65 and older can now get the coronavirus vaccine has begun to spark some hope for millions of older Californians and their families.
But on Thursday, they were greeted not with needles or appointments, but with busy phone lines, crowded websites and doctors who said they had no idea when they could give vaccines to their elderly patients. The information seemed more sparse than the vaccine itself.
Kaiser Permanente patients reported having received a message that they would have to wait up to four hours to speak to anyone who could schedule an appointment.
They were luckier than Sutter Health’s patients, who said they found the phone lines were disconnected, along with the health provider’s website.
And Stanford Health Care patients said their cell phone sites and apps were working, but offered little information about vaccination availability for the elderly.
Frustration was building on Thursday amid vaccine launches in the Bay Area and across California.
“There is no information available or anyone can tell us about it,” said Vijay Khasat, an insulin-dependent diabetic from Hayward, 80, in an e-mail. “We contacted our health professionals, who also gave us the treatment of silence.”
Carolee Ziegenhagen, 74, of Alameda, said that her sister in Florida received her first injection last week and the second is scheduled for February 3. In the meantime, she is unable to get an answer from her doctors, medical group, insurance companies or pharmacy.
“I would love to know when I can sign up for mine,” she said.
In Richmond, Mayor Tom Butt said he was unable to get any information from his provider, Kaiser, about when he could apply for a vaccine.
Butt, 76, said he signed up on Contra Costa County on Wednesday morning.
“I’m a little puzzled to hear nothing from Kaiser,” he said. “I went to their website and I can’t find anything there.”
Late Thursday afternoon, Kaiser Permanente Northern California announced it would contact all members aged 65 and over to discuss vaccine availability, but warned that supplies were limited.
A spokeswoman for Sutter Health acknowledged late on Thursday that the phone lines were overloaded and problems with the site are being investigated, although both are working. Patients who qualify for vaccines should now be able to schedule them.
“Right now, Sutter is prioritizing the most vulnerable populations in the state, including those over 75 years of age and our community health workers,” said spokeswoman Angeline Sheets. Sutter’s telephone appointment line will operate during the three-day weekend and the appointment will soon be available on its online portal.
We are committed to vaccinating our members as soon as possible, according to available stock. Due to high demand, we are experiencing a high volume of calls and longer waiting times. We appreciate your patience as we work hard to meet this demand. https://t.co/QjsqxfTBxN
– KPNorteCal (@kpnorcal) January 14, 2021
At UCSF, spokeswoman Elizabeth Fernandez said the health system sent messages to its members about the vaccine situation, including “limited and sporadic” delivery. “We are almost finished vaccinating our healthcare professionals,” she said. On Friday, she said, “We are starting with our primary care patients aged 75 and over and hope to move on to patients aged 65 to 74 soon.”
San Francisco supervisor Matt Haney said the city is making a mistake by relying on health professionals – hospitals and doctors – to provide vaccines. Instead, to ensure that vaccines reach arms faster, he said the city’s health department should launch mass immunization sites in places like stadiums, arenas, parking lots and parks, as other cities have done.
“The current situation is outrageous,” he said. “We have known this for months and there does not seem to be a clear plan for wide distribution across public health.”
A representative from the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said the health department is vaccinating patients over 65 in the city’s health care network at two clinics. “As more vaccines become available, this will be scaled up for other clinics,” said the representative, adding that the city is “working with private healthcare providers” to find additional facilities and speed up vaccination.
To add to the frustration of older Bay Area residents, there is the knowledge that friends in other counties and states are getting vaccines while they wait or wait to update their web browsers.
Although people over 75 can get vaccinated in Fresno County, Haney said, “My parents, who are 92 and 93” and live in San Francisco, can’t even get information. “
Some of the lucky few who manage to get answers are not very happy with them.
Allen Podell, an 83-year-old engineer, lives in Palo Alto, 2 miles from Stanford Hospital. But when he started digging deep to find out where he could get vaccinated, Stanford Health recommended Pinole, Danville and southern San Jose – all the long trips he is not willing to take.
“So, I’m just right,” he said. “Nobody else is going to take me, so I have to wait for Stanford, but they messed up the ball again. I’m 83, almost 84 years old, so I learned to be patient. But it is really a matter of life and death for us. I can imagine these guys sitting around playing. “
“We are responsible to our local county for our vaccine supply and who we vaccinate. We were told yesterday that we can start vaccinating patients aged 75 or older. We are actively preparing for the opportunity to vaccinate our patients, ”said Dr. Niraj Sehgal, medical director at Stanford Health Care, in a statement.
Merle Kahree, 71, a retired television journalist, lives in San Francisco, where her doctor said he would not receive the vaccine to give to patients until June.
“And this is just the first dose,” she said.
Kahree said he knew that the vaccine would be slow to be distributed, but he figured there would be at least some general information to let people know what to expect.
“I just want guidance,” she said. “How much time do I have to isolate myself at home? But I know I’m lucky. I’m healthy – I think – and I have a roof over my head. “
Michael Cabanatuan is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ctuan