COVID In The Suburbs: Seniors Inundating Pharmacies With Calls For Vaccine Appointments
RYE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- In the northern suburbs, pharmacy phones are ringing, and some seniors are fuming over the registration process for COVID-19 vaccines.
At Rye Beach Pharmacy, they might need some of their own headache medicine, as the phone rang off the proverbial hook on Monday, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
The pharmacy fielded hundreds of calls from seniors looking to book a COVID vaccination.
"They're very anxious. They're excited. They want to get the shot. They want to get the vaccine to protect themselves and their families," the pharmacy's Paula Slater said.
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Rye Beach is an approved vaccination site, but can only put callers on a list while it waits for the state to deliver the Moderna vaccine.
"We'll alert them when we get vaccine, and when scheduling websites are open. This is still good news because we really thought we were maybe six weeks out to seeing vaccine, but the state is really making a push to get it to us sooner than later," manager Ken Giaquinto said.
Westchester is ready to open the County Center as a vaccination clinic on Wednesday. At noon Monday, a check of the scheduling site showed every available slot booked into early February.
When asked if she has gone online and tried to book an appointment, Ann Colletti of Yonkers said, "Yes, we have many times and you get to a certain point and it shuts down on you."
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The Collettis were so frustrated, they made a futile attempt to book an appointment in person at the County Center.
"This should have been well-coordinated prior to this point in time," Perry Colletti said.
Aiello checked with several local governments and all are looking for ways to reach seniors who need help navigating the vaccine appointment process.
CBS2's Tony Aiello contributed to this report
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