It’s still early for the more than 3 million Illinois residents in Phase 1B — people 65 and over and essential workers — eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Persistence has paid off for some. But for many, it’s just brought frustration.
There are vaccine shortages, yes. And 75-year-old Carmen Rivera says she understands that. But, she says:
“Give me a break. If you don’t have it, don’t say you have it. I’d rather you tell me you don’t have it than to tell me to go and sign up when there’s no place for you to really sign up.”
Some seniors are having trouble navigating the websites where they are supposed to register for their vaccine shots.
Kevin Bowman of Elk Grove Village has spent hours online to try to book vaccines for his parents and in-laws. Without success.
“We should be making it easier for 70-plus-year-old people to understand what’s going on, what they need to do without sending them immediately online to fend for themselves,” he said Tuesday.
State and local leaders say more appointment times will open up.
Chicago health officials have told city residents who qualify for the 1B phase to contact their physician or nearest hospital or sign up with a pharmacy chain supplied by the Department of Public Health. Many county governments, meanwhile, are offering centralized registration portals online.
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