How is the effort going to vaccinate the elderly in some states

See how the effort to vaccinate the most vulnerable residents in some places is going.

West Virginia

Doses for people in this age group were being delivered to 82 organizations, including primary care doctors, health clinics and local health departments, Justice said at a news conference.

The state is planning several vaccination clinics for people aged 80 and over in National Guard arsenals and other select locations across the state, although the clinics have not yet been scheduled.

But while some seniors in the state are now eligible for the vaccine, it may take some time before they actually get one – at the moment, demand is high and supplies are limited. The number of vaccines available depends on how many West Virginia receives each week from the federal government, according to the governor’s office.

“… We ask for patience as the Joint Intergovernmental Task Force of the West Virginia National Guard finalizes plans for the widespread distribution of vaccines to Virgos in this age category,” the justice office said in the press release.

The department has since announced that it expects to receive 500 doses for those over 80 on Saturday. Eligible residents who want to be vaccinated must call for an appointment after 8 am on Friday, the department said.

The appointments were made on a first-come, first-served basis and the department soon announced that the doses were over – with no word yet on when the next shipment would be received on Thursday morning.

Tennessee

In Tennessee, residents 75 and older are now eligible to receive the vaccine.

As part of this update, elementary and high school teachers and child care professionals also advanced in line to receive the vaccine, placing them right behind the frontline health professionals.

“COVID-19 vaccines remain limited at this time, and Tennessee’s allocation plan prioritizes those most at risk of illness and death due to COVID-19,” Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said in a statement.

Georgia

Georgians 65 and older, along with police, firefighters and first responders, will soon be among those eligible for the vaccine.

The state health department did not offer many details on how it would distribute vaccines to the elderly and first responders. But it appears that the timing of these populations will be vaccinated will depend on where they live and the availability of vaccines in your area.

Different parts of the state are completing Phase 1A of the state at different times, based on the number of health professionals and long-term residents and staff they need to vaccinate, according to Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Kathleen Toomey.

“This expansion of eligible 1a vaccination criteria will allow the vaccine to be administered as quickly as possible to our most at-risk populations in terms of exposure, transmission and severity,” said Toomey in a statement.

Nevada

Nevada recently updated its distribution plan to prioritize people aged 75 and over.

Residents between 65 and 74 years of age and people with underlying health problems will be part of the Level 3 group, along with a second group of essential workers.

But it is still unclear how exactly these vaccines would be administered to the newly eligible.

Immunization program manager Shannon Bennett said during a news conference that the state’s vaccine distribution plan “remains fluid”.

“As more doses of the vaccine are received in Nevada and distributed to counties, some regions of the state may move to the next tier earlier than others, based on factors such as population size and vaccine demand and the tier group. “said Bennett.

As of Tuesday, more than 25,000 doses have been administered and reported across the state, said Sisolak.

Vaccination in assisted homes will begin next week, the governor said.

Florida

Florida, which has one of the highest proportions of residents over the age of 65, is prioritizing vaccination of the elderly over essential workers.

But in practice, getting shot in the arms of these residents was more complicated.

Governor Ron DeSantis left it up to each county health department to decide how to administer the vaccines. The approach created a massive dispute over a limited number of doses, with hourly wait times at vaccination sites and overloaded county hotlines and sites.

In southwest Florida, huge queues formed overnight on Tuesday after the Lee County Health Department announced that anyone aged 65 or over and high-risk frontline health workers could receive a vaccine on a first-come, first-served basis.

Each of the county’s seven vaccination sites had only 300 doses, causing people to camp on sunbeds and wait for hours.

Other counties have tried to schedule vaccination appointments for those who apply online or via a hotline.

In Orange County, the health department set up an online portal to book vaccination appointments, and 30,000 appointments have been scheduled in the past 24 hours. The county then said it had reached its maximum capacity and closed its online portal on Wednesday.

In Palm Beach County, the health department instructed people 65 and older to call a hotline to get the vaccine. But the hotline can only answer 150 calls at a time and was overloaded, the county said.

And in South Florida, Broward Health said all of its appointments are scheduled until February.

Some recipients of the vaccine said that although they considered themselves lucky, the process of delivering the vaccines could be improved.

“While I am grateful to receive the vaccine, I feel that there must be a better way to distribute it,” said Bruce Scott, who received the vaccine in Fort Myers, to CNN.

“For people who really need it, elderly people who may be disabled in some way, they can’t stand this process, so there must be a better way to deal with it.”