North Shore Seniors Anxious For Vaccine, Frustrated With Process

SALEM, MA — North Shore seniors hoping to sign up for the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday expressed frustration with the inability to find appointments online and questions about how those with limited mobility and internet access can still get the sought-after shots.

The state began allowing for those 75 years old or older to begin registering for vaccination times as of Monday through the state website on Wednesday. Those 75-and-older are eligible for the vaccine at the start of phase 2 with those 65-and-older and those with comorbidities eligible later in phase 2 as federal vaccine supplies allow.

Gov. Baker said on Monday the state will soon have the capacity to administer 242,000 vaccines per week, and 305,000 by mid-February. But he added that he does not expect to get that many doses from the federal government in the coming weeks.

Yet, for many of those who have spent almost a year protecting themselves from the virus through isolating themselves from family and friends, the promise of the end of the pandemic means they can't get the promise of the vaccine soon enough.

"You bet I'm getting vaccinated," Salem resident Dorrie Kimkaran said in response to a Patch question about vaccine desire or hesitancy. "It will bring peace of mind, relative freedom — I will continue to wear a mask.

"I will always be grateful to those who have researched, cared for patients and guided us with their knowledge and caring."

Kimkaran shared that her grandmother, who was born in Portugal in 1898, suffered through smallpox as a child and carried lifelong scars because of it. She added that she's known four friends who have died of the coronavirus, with six others who were quite ill and have recovered.

Stories like Kimkaran's are why many seniors are impatient with talk of supply delays and open registrations that cannot be accessed.

In Salem, the city is directing seniors with questions on vaccination registration to contact the Council on Aging for assistance.

"We are also learning at the same time we are receiving guidance from the Mass Council on Aging," said Salem Council on Aging Director Teresa Gove Arnold told Patch. "What we're advocating for is more sites where the senior can call and get an appointment, as opposed to elders having to go online or be standing in a line outside at Gillette Stadium."

Salem seniors can call the Salem council at 978-744-0924, extension 43015, and leave a message with a name and number. The city said someone from the council's social services team will return the call.

Arnold said the Council on Aging received about 200 calls on Wednesday from concerned or confused seniors and family members, and that the social services team will return all those calls over the next few days.

She said the main message is to be as patient as possible for those seniors who are computer-inclined or have family members who are navigating different sites looking for appointments. She said the Council on Aging is there to provide tech support for seniors who don't have computer access or email.

"Right now, it was just announced so for the next few days everything will be inundated," Arnold said. "We are hoping as they roll it out there will be things our seniors are more comfortable with. Some of them are very tech-savvy, but most of them are not. We will do our best to steer people the best we can."

She said in Salem there are robocalls that will update seniors on vaccination options along with social media updates for those who are more fluent with computers and smartphones.

"Talking with some of my counterparts across the state through email it's been a lot of the same things," Arnold said. "People are quite anxious, calling, needing assistance. We can't get to everybody immediately. But we will return calls as soon as we can."

Arnold said she hopes there will also soon be mobile or on-demand vaccination units for seniors who have a hard time getting out or getting around a large clinic.

"They can't be underserved," she determined. "We are aware of that concern."

Vaccinations for those in phase 1 of eligibility in Peabody were held Wednesday at Higgins Middle School and will be held for those from Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott at Salem State University on Thursday.

While vaccinations are soon expected to be available at local pharmacies, doctor's offices and at a clinic set up by Beverly Hospital and Salem Hospital for those with primary care physicians affiliated with those hospitals, the closest mass vaccination site set up to vaccinate on Monday will be at the DoubleTree Hotel in Danvers.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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