Minnesota residents with new appointments for the COVID vaccine receive vaccines, but others remain frustrated

Vaccination for people aged 65 and over began at nine locations in Minnesota and continues through Saturday. The state’s pilot program, new this week, was quickly overloaded and officials say they are solving some problems before another application scheduled for Tuesday.

At Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, the conference room on the first day, the queue extended to the parking lot, but changed quickly. Once inside, the excitement continued to build.

“You can bet it’s a great day,” said Sue Murr, 69, of South St. Paul, Minnesota, before receiving her first dose of the vaccine on Thursday. After his injection, Murr walked to a large makeshift waiting room where about 30 other people were monitored for any reaction to the vaccine.

“I have a father in a nursing home and I am an essential caregiver. Therefore, it was essential to enter. And besides, I want to live a little longer and I didn’t want to fight COVID. So, I’m very grateful, ”said Murr.

Murr’s daughter logged in on Tuesday to make an appointment. She was one of the lucky ones, as the online and telephone systems were overloaded. This time, there were about 6,000 vacancies and about a million people in Minnesota who qualified for them. Hundreds of thousands tried to enter.

Calling herself a “dinosaur” in technology, Murr said the system is not great for older people.

“In my generation, there are many who are very adept at technology and there are those of us who are not,” she said.

This worries AARP Minnesota state director Will Phillips. He learned that some were unable to update their computers or phones many times in a row and others had trouble finding the correct phone number.

Minnesota residents “may not have access to high-speed Internet just because of where they live,” said Phillips. “Others may not be online for a variety of reasons or they may be working in the middle of the day.”

Phillips said older adults may be so isolated that they no longer know about the opportunity.

The enrollment system for people over 65 is still evolving, officials say. Minnesota’s health and IT departments hope to improve the functioning of the system. Phillips said that the more options and information for making appointments, the better.

“There is a great need to make sure that we are doing everything we can and that the states are really deliberating on how to reach these populations,” he said.

Kathleen Jordan, of Excelsior, Minn., Showed up at the Brooklyn Center for what she thought was her appointment at 1:15 pm. She was online and believed that the system assigned her a time.

“It was as if the page had stopped. And I assumed that was all I needed to do. But there was obviously more that I had to do, ”she said.

Jordan left without a vaccine.

While there are these major problems, the process of actually getting vaccines on the first day seemed to go very well. The queue outside the door moved quickly and those who got their pictures looked generally satisfied.

Ron Tupy, from Apple Valley, Minnesota, said he made an appointment online without waiting too long. The 65-year-old man has asthma and said he has been very careful during the pandemic. He was delighted to get to this point.

“During the first day, I think they did a very good job.” Said Tupy.

Officials say people aged 65 and over may try to get nominations again on Tuesday. The authorities hope to make improvements soon.

“In the coming days, we will have more information on how Minnesota residents can apply for an appointment during the second week of the pilot program,” said Devin Henry, spokesman for the state’s COVID-19 response.

There is another option for vaccines for people over 65. Some health professionals have also started looking for patients in this category to schedule vaccines.