Epic fail: Why Johnson County left seniors waiting in the cold for COVID vaccine shots

You had to know there’d be a mad dash for COVID-19 vaccines when they became available — even among those 80 and over. How did it catch Johnson County officials so head-shakingly flatfooted?

County residents who are most vulnerable to both COVID and the cold were forced to wait in long lines for long periods outside Okun Fieldhouse in Shawnee Tuesday in 20-degree temperatures. The obscene scene angered the community and caused chastened county officials to apologize profusely in a Facebook Live event later that day.

We have no doubt that county manager Penny Postoak Ferguson and Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, were properly horrified and thoroughly sincere in their apologies and their promises to do better.

“I first want to start by apologizing for the logistics and how it was implemented today. It was not what our county expects or deserves,” the county manager said.

So noted. And it’s nice that the county was “pleased to see the enthusiasm and the interest in vaccines.” But why the surprise? We warned that when the state of Kansas suddenly threw open the door to Phase 2 of its vaccination program — which technically includes those 65 and up — that it would result in an Oklahoma land rush. How could Johnson County not have seen that coming?

And what happened on Tuesday was just for those 80 and up. What will happen when vaccines really are available for those 65 and older in the coming weeks?

The mixed messages certainly don’t help: Technically, Phase 2 makes those 65 and older eligible, but Johnson County is only vaccinating those 80 and up right now. “When those opportunities (for 65-and-up) open up, we will let you know,” said Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment. “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.”

OK. But will the messaging and processing be any better? The county had better hope so.

Can you imagine the torment of watching your 80-plus mother or father, perhaps holding fast to the cold metal of a walker, waiting outside for 20 minutes or more in the dead of winter?

Interestingly, when The Star Editorial Board caught wind Jan. 20 that Phase 2 was beginning the following morning, we immediately asked the Johnson County Health Department what the plan was and what seniors should be doing. The answer: “This will be discussed at the Board of County Commissioners meeting tomorrow morning.”

Come again? The scramble for shots is in the morning, and the commissioners are only getting together then to talk about it? We’ve known these vaccines have been coming for weeks, if not months. The supply may be paltry and insufficient, but all the more reason for advance planning and a comprehensive communications plan for the gradual public rollout.

Areola promised more vaccinators and staff to handle the crowd. And he rightly points out that the county health department won’t be the only source of vaccines once more doses arrive. Thank heavens for that. Hospitals, doctors’ offices and even pharmacies are expected to shoulder much of the load down the road.

In addition, as Areola notes, it’s essential that only people with appointments show up for vaccinations, and only at the appointed day and time. Areola says “quite a few” Johnson Countians showed up Tuesday without an appointment. Fair enough. But that, too, could’ve reasonably been expected.

What the heck happened here? Did the state spring an accelerated Phase 2 on county health officials? Is the nation’s beleaguered, scandalously underfunded and decentralized public health system just not up to this task? Happily, things went much smoother Wednesday, but Johnson County can’t afford a replay. Answers, please.

Regardless, if you were a county leader, wouldn’t this looming horde have kept you up at night wondering how you’d handle it?

Could you have handled it any worse?

This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 2:18 PM.