As coronavirus vaccine rollout reaches first responders, others on the frontlines are wondering when it'll be their turn.
The federal government has left vaccine distribution up to states, leaving many in vulnerable communities wondering when they'll be able to receive the vaccine themselves.
Diane Kearns, mother of 18-year-old Dean, is one such person - wondering when her son with cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, and legal blindness will be able to say he's immune to the coronavirus, USA Today reports.
Many like Diane are scrambling on their own to try and find a location that will administer the vaccine - all through poor messaging and inconsistent procedures in rollout.
Kearns' children have been quarantined to their rooms and wearing masks indoors, all to keep Dean from contracting the coronavirus - an illness that for him, could be lethal.
"I can't think of the last time I kissed anybody," Kearns said. "Probably February, because there's such fear. I miss hugging my family."
The family canceled Christmas and Thanksgiving festivities this past year to help keep everyone safe.
Kearns also notes the stress that comes with being stuck at home. "We don't cry," Kearns said. "We yell at each other. There's a lot of anger. I try to be calm and Zen and think of where is this anger coming from."
Kearns remains hopeful that Dean will receive his vaccination in February.
Federal officials have listed many reasons as to why there may be a vaccine hold-up, noting a lack of federal funding and a requirement that states hold vaccines for long-term care facilities.
The vaccines all require special storage and handling, which means training is another cause for a wait time in receiving the vaccine.
State by state, seniors 65 years of age and older are in various "phases" of vaccine distribution, appearing in the first phase in Florida but in the third phase in New York.
Richard Paiva, a 71-year-old retired man from Florida, headed to Daytona Stadium at 5:30 in the morning one day, only to find that the stadium had opened an hour early for vaccine distribution, and they were out of supplies by the time he arrived.
"This would be like throwing one 16-ounce steak into a cage of 137,000 famished tigers," he said of the incident to USA Today. "What could go wrong with this picture? I don't know what they expected to happen."
Still, Paiva has hope. "Hopefully, different, more improved plans, developed and hosted by more competent authorities than those running the Daytona Stadium debacle, will be offered in our area soon. When they are, we will be there," he said.
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