Health professionals were the first in New Jersey to start vaccinating on December 15, prioritized because they were among the most likely to be exposed to the coronavirus.
But five weeks later, even after eligibility for the vaccine has been expanded to more than 4 million residents, some health professionals say they have yet to even make an appointment for the vaccine they are desperate to get.
“What about your healthcare professionals who work for small businesses? Many of those who work for companies, hospitals, large groups have managed to do this, ”said Paula Adamo, a registered dental assistant at a dental office in Morris County. “I feel like I’m left to my own devices to try and achieve that.”
Like thousands of frustrated New Jerseyers, she registered with the state and various health systems. She was notified that she was eligible, but that only makes her one of the hundreds of thousands who are and still cannot obtain consultations.
“I feel like I’m thrown into a pot that no one opens the lid on,” she said.
The vaccine’s launch in New Jersey was criticized as slow from the start. Public health experts said eligibility should have been expanded somewhat when vaccines were stopped in freezers, because some health professionals were reluctant to get vaccinated first or around the holidays.
But when Governor Phil Murphy announced that anyone over 65, smokers or people with specific chronic health conditions could receive the vaccine – based on federal guidance and promises that more vaccine would be available soon – it meant that more 4 million people became eligible overnight. Any health professional or rescuer who still tried to make an appointment now competed with a much larger group.
It is true that many in the health area had already been vaccinated at that time because hospitals ran their own vaccination clinics and some opened them up to workers in their communities. At least 277,118 people had been vaccinated when eligibility changed on January 14, according to the state.
But for those who are in the field and don’t work in a hospital, nursing home or pharmacy, getting the vaccine was not as simple as going to the clinic at your workplace. They are trapped in the confusion of New Jersey residents, spending hours checking websites and making calls, only to find that there are no hours available.
Governor Phil Murphy, center, applauds the COVID-19 vaccination at the Bergen New Bridge Medical Center vaccination site in Paramus.Donna Brennan | Bergen County Executive Office
Things are not likely to get better soon. State officials said that despite its earlier belief that the federal government would send far more vaccines, the state should now receive approximately the same amount – about 100,000 doses a week – in the next month.
Adamo and several others in the health sector said they understood the huge and complex problem the state faces when trying to meet its ambitious goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population – 4.7 million – in six months.
But she can’t help but resent the fact that the state opened up eligibility for that degree when there were still health professionals who needed the injection.
She said the state continues to send emails to her saying she can make an appointment, but the list of possible locations, including so-called megasites, is never scheduled. ShopRite said they were booked until April, she said. RWJBarnabas Health told her that they would send her an email when there were consultations there, so she hopes it will work eventually.
“I feel like I’ve done what I can here,” she said.
Others said they faced similar problems. An Ocean County psychologist, who works at a psychiatric center, said she and her co-workers had received mixed messages from the start about whether vaccines would be provided to them. NJ Advance Media is not citing her or her employer to protect her from the potential consequences of speaking out.
“Basically, everyone is on their own now,” she said. “And anyone who works there who has had the vaccine will have done it on their own. Some of them have a second job at other hospitals, so they got it there. Some of them traveled across the state when they found an open appointment. “
Like Adamo, she continues to receive e-mails saying she must make an appointment, but she cannot find one, even if she expands the search to something within 100 miles.
“It says: ‘You are in phase 1A, it’s time to make your appointment, click here.’ And I click there every day and there is never any commitment. I check at least once in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, in the middle of the night, ”she said. “I just keep tapping continuously.”
Edward Bognacki, a certified substance abuse counselor at a treatment center in Freehold, faced an obstacle even earlier in the process.
He pre-registered on the state website as informed on January 4, but when he finished the process he received an error message. When he tried to redo, he said he was already registered. But he never received a confirmation email like everyone else should. He also never received the notification that he is fit for vaccination and can make an appointment, although he is entitled to 1A, and now up to 1B, because he is 65 and has health problems.
Bognacki, from Toms River, said he had contacted the Department of Health twice through his website and was informed that he is in the system, despite not receiving a confirmation email. But he has not yet been notified that he can arrange a meeting, although he does qualify and his co-workers have already done so. He tried the governor’s office, but got no response.
“I read online or see on television that they are concerned that people will not get the vaccine. Even some health professionals refuse, ”said Bognacki. “I’m a guy who has no problem getting a vaccine. It is important for my health and the health of my neighbors and everyone else who receives this vaccine. I really wanted to do it. But at this point, I’m not sure where to go next. “
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Rebecca Everett can be reached at [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip on here.