As San Mateo County and large medical systems begin to broaden the age qualifications for accessing a COVID-19 vaccine, competition for appointments has also grown, creating greater challenges for older seniors lacking the technical skills to book online.
“It’s kind of a shame that people in their 90s who need it the most, the ones who on average aren’t capable on the computer, are confined to the telephone,” said Joe Narcisso, a 91-year-old San Mateo resident.
After learning in the news that vaccine appointments were being opened to seniors ages 75 and up, Narcisso was advised by a neighbor to call his primary care physician. Before doing so, he had not received vaccine information from his physician or any vaccinating entity.
Because his physician is affiliated with Sutter Health, Narcisso was directed to book an appointment through its online portal or hotline. After four phone calls, one directly from a Sutter employee and three from Narcisso to Sutter, on Wednesday, Feb. 3 he was able to book an appointment for March 15 in Mountain View.
“It’s too far but I took that reservation, bird in hand,” said Narcisso. “It’s been frustrating because at my age I want to get the vaccine as quickly as I can. That's the bottom line.”
Appreciative of the service he received from Sutter, Narcisso said the real hurdle is competing with computer savvy people while trying to schedule a timely nearby appointment. When slots open up, those connected to the internet have quicker access to earlier dates, closer to home, leaving people in Narcisso’s situation with a selection of appointments in hard-to-reach locations weeks into the future.
Some hold out hope of snagging a canceled appointment but those are often rebooked quickly. Being retired granted Narcisso the free time needed to call when phone lines were less busy but his wait was still about 30 minutes long on average, he said.
It took him weeks to finally schedule a vaccine appointment, partly because he was expecting to be officially notified of when and where he would be permitted to book. Despite now having an appointment, he plans to continue calling to hopefully find something more convenient.
Joe Narcisso and his son Rick Narcisso, 62, both feel disappointed some of the oldest residents, most vulnerable to the virus, are having the hardest time finding appointments. When Rick Narcisso learned of his father’s efforts to find a vaccine, he was frustrated and concerned there may be more people in his father’s situation finding less luck.
“It's frustrating for me because I didn’t really know there was this huge blind spot,” said Rick Narcisso. “Everybody thinks that someone elderly is my age but I’m a baby boomer. I know how to do all this stuff. I’m pretty tech savvy but my dad’s generation has entirely been forgotten.”
Rick Narcisso is uncomfortable with his father driving long distances especially if it means he may end up driving in the dark. Having heard some people have shown up to sites just to find out their appointment was canceled or were never made, he also fears his father will drive somewhere far, to end up leaving without getting his first dose.
Recommended for you
Having also seen his 77-year-old sister-in-law struggle to get vaccinated, Rick Narcisso said he’d ultimately like to see better outreach to seniors, especially the technologically challenged, and better access for everyone.
“The biggest frustration is that we have this big powerful important state and these folks in their 80s and 90s that have been completely overlooked,” said Rick Narcisso. “They should be at the front of the line.”
Recognizing the technological hurdles some seniors face, San Mateo County’s Deputy Chief of Health Srija Srinivasan expressed confidence in the ability of multicounty entities to communicate with hard-to-reach populations.
On the county’s end, it’s responsible for vaccinating 4,000 older adults who are uninsured or covered by a county program. Opening up appointments to seniors over the age of 65, Srinivasan said in an emailed statement the county is striving to “meet the varying needs and readiness of different patients.”
“At this point, the significantly constrained vaccine supply is requiring every vaccinating entity to prioritize how to outreach in ways that reach the most vulnerable while also ensuring that available vaccine supply gets used as quickly as it is made available to providers in our county,” said Srinivasan. “We want to assure that there will be opportunities for everyone to be vaccinated.”
Unlike the county and Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente has maintained its vaccine age qualification at 75 or older, for its more than 270,000 members in Northern California. Insufficient and irregular supplies have caused the health care provider to hold off on expanding allocations, according to a Kaiser representative.
“What is limiting appointments is the very limited supply of vaccine California is receiving from the federal government,” said the representative, noting the provider has reached out to those eligible for vaccination through email and letters.
Sutter officials were unable to comment.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 106
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.