Johnson County seniors wait in long, cold lines for COVID shots. Officials apologize
Hundreds of senior citizens showed up to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Johnson County on Tuesday.
The bad news? Some of them had to wait outside, in January weather, in long lines.
Johnson County officials apologized and announced changes to the process during a Facebook Live presentation later in the afternoon.
The county health department began vaccinating residents 80 and older Tuesday at Okun Fieldhouse on Johnson Drive in Shawnee, part of the Mid-American West Sports Complex. Health officials said they administered 1,778 doses.
The logistics were “not what our county expects or deserves, and will be different tomorrow and going forward,” said county manager Penny Postoak Ferguson during the Facebook event.
“I apologize on behalf of the county staff. We care for the comfort and the safety of … especially vulnerable populations … all that we serve. And we need to make improvements.”
One Johnson County woman said she took her 82-year-old mother to the fieldhouse shortly after 9 a.m. for a 9:30 appointment and was “appalled” by what she saw — seniors “crushed up against each other” in the parking lot waiting for their turn. She spoke to The Star on condition of anonymity to guard her mother’s privacy.
She said her mother, who uses a walker, waited more than 20 minutes outside, bundled up to stay warm in the 23-degree morning.
She waited and watched from her car, and at one point she got out to warn her mother to stay six feet away from the others in line, which few people were doing, she said.
“It was just packed. And I understand this is a logistical nightmare for them,” she said. “It’s hard enough keeping her safe. This has been really hard on them. And she was excited to finally get her vaccine. … It just upset me.”
During the Facebook event, Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, acknowledged the long lines and apologized to residents “for the discomfort and the inconvenience that you experienced today. … And we have been making adjustments to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Based on vaccine supplies from the state, the health department booked 7,584 vaccination appointments for this week alone.
Starting Wednesday, officials promised more staff on hand to do the vaccinating — 20 in all — and more to handle the traffic outside the fieldhouse and the flow of people inside, he said. Health officials are also considering expanding the hours.
The fieldhouse, according to its website, is 56,500 square feet, big enough for four basketball courts, eight volleyball courts and concession stands.
People can still be dropped off at the fieldhouse, Areola said. But “if you need to wait for any period of time, we’re working to ensure that you can park and be in your car closer to the time you need to come in.”
Then he had a few requests for people coming to get the vaccine, which suggested other glitches that might have happened Tuesday:
▪ Don’t show up without an appointment, which can disrupt the process. “Quite a few” people did that Tuesday, Areola said.
▪ If you are younger than 80, it’s not your turn yet. “Right now our focus is on residents who are 80 years or older. So if you are younger than that, if you are 65, just give us a couple more weeks,” Areola said. “When those opportunities open up, we will let you know. As we get more vaccine and we vaccinate more people, we will be able to get through all of those who are in the 65 and plus category.
▪ Double-check your appointment time and arrive close to it — not super early. “We have planned this effectively around a certain number of persons being vaccinated every 30 minutes,” he said. “If you have an appointment at 10, for example, you can show up 10, 15 minutes before the appointed time. But if you have an appointment at 12 and you show up at 9 or 10 it kind of changes our calculation.”
▪ Double-check the date of your appointment. “It is possible to show up at the right time but on the wrong date,” he said.
“You have the right to expect good customer service from us,” Areola said. “You have the right to expect comfort while we are providing the vaccines to you. And those are parts where we didn’t quite meet up to expectations today.”
With potentially dicey winter weather heading in, Areola said that “while we’re trying to get you vaccinated as quickly as we can, we also don’t want to put you into any unsafe situation.”
He said anyone who has an appointment for Wednesday who doesn’t feel safe being out can call the health department “and we will reschedule you as quickly as we can,” he said.
The county’s COVID-19 Hotline — 913-715-2819 — is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A message on the hotline Tuesday night said people calling to cancel a vaccine appointment would be contacted in February.
Under the state’s Phase 2, Johnson County prioritized its workers and residents based on who is at higher risk for complications and exposure to the virus.
Residents who are eligible for Phase 2 should fill out an interest survey at jocogov.org/covid-19-vaccine, or call the hotline.
People can also sign up for the health department’s email newsletter at jocogov.org/coronavirus-covid-19.
Counties are free to decide how to move through the phases, and Johnson County decided to start this phase with people 80 and older.
Next, subcategories will be contacted to get the vaccine in this order:
▪ Ages 65 and older; educators/school staff; child care staff; emergency responders and food and agriculture workers.
▪ Homeless shelters; adult and child protective services; emergency shelters or safe houses; corrections facilities; behavioral health institutions and residential treatment centers; adult care homes; home care givers and personal care aides.
▪ Water and wastewater employees; U.S. Postal Service and Department of Motor Vehicles employees; retail, warehouses and sales outlets and companies that supply critical services or materials for the pandemic.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 7:50 PM.
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