Russ’s Ravings: Rumor Is Key To Find COVID Vaccines

Editor's note: The following is Patch Field Editor Russ Crespolini's, hopefully, weekly column. It is reflective of his opinion alone.

We've all heard the rumors since the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Garden State two months ago.

"If you show up you can transfer your appointment to someone else."

"You know, if you go there and ask to be put on a waiting list they will let you sit in your car and call you if there are any leftovers."

"CVS drops between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m."

"I heard if you find someone wearing green on Monday outside the facility it means they will have extra that day."

These rumors and those like them, often posted on social media by well-meaning people have an advantage over journalists and their reporting: they don't need to be true.

The lack of verifying, fact-checking and official statement gathering had made it much easier for people to take whatever they were hearing in person, from a friend or online and spread it like wildfire.

And somehow, it works.

Now don't get me wrong, this is not to say you should believe everything you are seeing that isn't verified, but the strength of the rumor isn't its accuracy. It is its veracity and reach. So yes, you can follow some of these tips we've assembled here:

Where to Get Vaccinated

Eligible patients can preregister through the state for an appointment. The process may not immediately give you an appointment date but will put you on a list to alert you when an appointment becomes available.

Here's a map that will show vaccination sites near you.

Those who work or volunteer at select health care facilities can make an appointment through their place of work. Veterans who receive care from Veterans Affairs health facilities or live in VA long-term care facilities may be eligible for vaccines through the VA.

Tips and Tricks

Patch has gathered tips that may help for securing vaccine appointments and websites with additional information:

• Join the New Jersey Covid Vaccine Info Facebook group. The 61,000-member group gives New Jerseyans the opportunity to share up-to-date information on vaccine availability.
• Follow VaxxUpdates on Twitter. The page helps Garden State residents secure vaccine appointments with instant updates on availability.
• CVS and Rite Aid began scheduling COVID-19 appointments at locations that will receive vaccines. But appointments fill up quickly.
• CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold periodically opens registration. They will email a link when you're eligible for an appointment.
• Check out the COVID-19 Vaccine Registration FAQ from RWJBarnabas Health.
• ShopRite sometimes has a wait time to access its vaccine scheduler, but it allows the public to make appointments.
• Wegmans began taking appointments on March 4 for all of their stories in the tristate area. The details we reported on previously.

But beyond the official line you can also look at some of these social media groups like New Jersey Covid Vaccine Info that sometimes has up-to-the-second experiences from people in the middle of their quest for inoculations.

As someone who has devoted their professional life to telling the truth insofar as the truth can be ascertained I find it hard to reconcile. But the truth is at this point, until the supply meets the demand, we should be availing ourselves of any resource available to get a vaccine.

Because you honestly can't even trust what you are being told officially half the time. For example, last week CVS announces they are expanding inoculation sites throughout New Jersey. I go on and check their site and manually count the locations they listed.

163 total.

This week they send out a press release about 30 new sites online, bringing their total to 73!

What happened to the other 100 or so sites? Well nothing, because if you go online they are still listed as valid and taking appointments as of this writing. And if you ask them...well...they don't really have an answer when they do get back to you.

But the point of this is not to shame those trying to get vaccines out to people. Not at all, but it is to highlight the fact that you need to diversify your approach until the supply meets up with the demand.

We might be able to get you all of the verified and official data for free and outside of a paywall, but we will not be able to compete with the rumors that can fly, unbidden, without any checks and balances.

So for now, I am saying use every resource available to you on this one issue.

But within a few weeks I am going to ask that you stop listening to the guy who flunked high school science on climate change and the girl who thinks Google research and YouTube vidoes trumps medical degrees.

But until then, I wish you luck. And please share any tips you have on how you found vaccination appointments in the comments below.

Russ Crespolini is a Field Editor for Patch Media, adjunct professor and college newspaper advisor. His columns have won awards from the National Newspaper Association and the New Jersey Press Association.