SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Barbara Lefkoe kept trying. And trying. And trying again.
For days on end, the Cherry Hill retiree and kidney recipient refreshed Virtua’s website, hoping to snag a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at the Moorestown Mall, where the state recently opened a vaccine mega-site.
“They weren’t opening up the appointments so you had to keep checking back,” she said.
For many like Lefkoe across New Jersey, it’s been a frustrating time trying to get the coveted appointment.
The uneven balance between the supply of the vaccine and the huge demand is proving just because you’re eligible for it doesn’t mean it’s easy to score a shot.
State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli acknowledged the maddening wait some are facing.
“It may be some time before you receive an invitation to make an appointment, even if you are currently eligible,” she said Tuesday. “We are asking the public to be patient because supply of the vaccine is limited.”
Lefkoe’s persistence paid off, and she was able to get an appointment for the middle of February. Some of her eligible family members scored slots even later than that.
While the experience was frustrating, she understands the fact that 4 million New Jerseyans are now eligible for the vaccine — and the state is only receiving 100,000 doses a week.
“Now they have to try to get as many dosages as they possibly can,” she said, adding she hopes the new Biden administration may speed things up.