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02/09/2021 03:39 PMIn Westbrook, Phase 1b of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has entailed much more than simply spreading the word—it’s necessitated strategizing communications and helping seniors navigate registration.
One of the ways the town has reached the 75-and-older population is through local churches, according to Westbrook Director of Health Zachary Faiella. His department has asked that information about scheduling options and registration be posted on front doors and on websites, included in email blasts, and announced at services.
“We hit a good chunk of the population: church members,” he said. “It’s been a good method.”
The town has also posted flyers on the front doors of senior housing facilities, as well as near community and laundry rooms.
There are a variety of ways to get vaccinated, some local and some a distance away. Many require online registration, which can be a problem for people without an email address or a computer. In some cases, distance is a problem—some seniors don’t drive and may not have someone who can take them to the appointment.
Public transportation service 9 Town Transit offers free transportation to and from COVID vaccination appointments; visit estuarytransit.org or call 860-510-0429 for details.
Westbrook Senior Center Director Courtney Burks, together with her assistant, Amber Shaw, has painstakingly called local seniors, largely using a list of Westbrook registered voters, which they supplemented with phone numbers the center itself has. They’ve worked their way through one name at a time.
“We’re answering questions about the registration process and helping to register people,” Burks explained.
Some vaccine locations, such as those in Old Saybrook and Clinton, use an online system called the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS), and some people prefer to schedule their appointment over the phone. But there are seniors who are hard of hearing, which makes speaking on the phone difficult. Others have difficulty dialing.
“I can put them on speaker phone, talk kind of loudly, get through the process and get [an appointment] for them,” she said.
So far, Burks has had to register just six people herself. She’s created an email address for them, signed them up, and mailed them the confirmation.
“Most were either able to register on their own or had their family help them,” she said. “A lot of the seniors need to wait for a closer location, not being able to drive that far.
“A woman at one of the senior housing complexes helped to register almost everyone in her complex,” Burks continued. “She lives at the complex, creating email [addresses] for them, showing them how to register online, driving them to their appointments.”
Burks and Shaw have a follow-up list of seniors who are either waiting for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine—which does not require a second dose—or appointments at a location right in town, like Walgreens, which plans to offer vaccines in the near future.
There’s anxiety among some people about getting the second vaccine in time, according to Burks. Recently, however, the CDC issued a statement saying that the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, although 28 days after the initial shot is preferable, can be administered up to six weeks later, Faiella said.
“It gives people a little leeway” in scheduling the follow-up shot, he said, and has relieved pressure somewhat on those organizing vaccination distribution.
Because its storage temperature is not quite as low as the Pfizer vaccine requires, the Moderna vaccine is the one that’s been available locally, according to Faiella.
Westbrook residents age 75 and older with questions about the COVID vaccine or who need assistance scheduling an appointment can call the Westbrook Senior Center at 860-399-3048.