>> I鈥橫 JUST LOST. I鈥橫 LEFT OUT. I鈥橫 LOST IN THE PILE. KELSI: JAMES AHERN, SR. IS 77 YEARS OLD. HE鈥橲 A WIDOWER WHO LIVES ALONE AT HIS HOME IN OCALA AND HE DOESN鈥橳 HAVE A COMPUTER. I SPOKE WITH HIM OVER THE PHONE. >> I鈥橠 JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHERE CAN GET A VACCINE. KELSI: JAMES MEETS THE CRITERIA TO GET THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE. BUT ACTUALLY GETTING IT HAS BEEN ONE HEADACHE AFTER ANOTHER. >> I GO TO MY LOCAL PHARMACY AND THEY TELL ME THAT THEY WON鈥橳 BE ROLLING OUT ANYTHING UNTIL SOMETIME MAYBE IN MARCH. I HEARD THAT MY LOCAL PUBLIX SUPERMARKET WAS DOIN VACCINATIONS, AND COME DOWN AND SIGN UP, AND I GO TO PUBLIX TO SIGN UP, AND THEY TELL ME I HAVE TO SIGN UP ONLINE. >> BETWEEN WHAT WE鈥橰E DOING IN THE COUNTIES, WHAT THE HOSPITALS ARE DOING, SOME OF THE DRIVE-THRU SITES, THE CHURCHES, PUBLIX, ALL THIS STUFF TOGETHER , WE HAVE A LOT OF THROUGHPUT NOW. KELSI: GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS HAS BEEN TRAVELING ACROSS THE STATE FOR WEEKS, ANNOUNCING NEW VACCINE SITES AND MORE SHIPMENTS OF DOSES. BUT JAMES TOLD ME HE FEELS LIKE THE GOVERNOR IS PUSHING FORWARD WITHOUT MAKING SURE PEOPLE LIKE HIM AREN鈥橳 LEFT BEHIND. >> SOMEBODY鈥橲 GOT TO LOOK INTO IT, AND COME UP WITH WAYS OF DEALING WITH PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT DON鈥橳 HAVE A COMPUTER, OR THE ELDERLY THAT JUST NEED HELP. KELSI I WAS ABLE TO HELP JAMES : GET IN TOUCH WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN MARION COUNTY TO HOPEFULLY HELP HIM GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHERE HE CAN GET A VACCINE. BUT AGAIN, HE鈥橲 NOT ALONE. MANY ARE IN THE SAME SITUATION. LOCAL AND STATE OFFICIALS HAVE SAID THEY ARE
'I'm just lost': Some seniors worry over lack of technology to make vaccination appointment
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Updated: 11:51 AM CST Jan 20, 2021
Seniors are among those who are first in line for the vaccine, but some feel they're being left behind."I'm just lost. I'm left out. I'm lost in the pile,鈥� said James Ahern Sr. Ahern is a 77-year-old widower who lives alone at his home in Ocala, Florida. He doesn't have a computer."I'd just like to know where I can get a vaccine,鈥� Ahern said.Ahern meets the criteria to get the coronavirus vaccine, but scheduling it has been hard for him. "I go to my local pharmacy and they tell me that they won't be rolling out anything until sometime maybe in March. I heard that my local Publix Supermarket was doing vaccinations and come down and sign up and I go to Publix to sign up and they tell me I have to sign up online,鈥� Ahern said."Between what we're doing in the counties, what the hospitals are doing, some of the drive-thru sites, the churches, Publix, all this stuff together 鈥� we have a lot of throughput now," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.DeSantis has been traveling across the state for weeks to announce new vaccination sites and more shipments of doses.However, Ahern said he feels like the governor is pushing forward without making sure people like him aren't left behind."Somebody's got to look into it and come up with ways of dealing with people like me that don't have a computer or the elderly that, I don't know, just need help,鈥� Ahern said.However, Ahern is not alone. Seniors across the country are facing the same frustrations, while officials say they are working on it and asking people to be patient.
Seniors are among those who are first in line for the vaccine, but some feel they're being left behind.
"I'm just lost. I'm left out. I'm lost in the pile,鈥� said James Ahern Sr.
Ahern is a 77-year-old widower who lives alone at his home in Ocala, Florida. He doesn't have a computer.
"I'd just like to know where I can get a vaccine,鈥� Ahern said.
Ahern meets the criteria to get the coronavirus vaccine, but scheduling it has been hard for him.
"I go to my local pharmacy and they tell me that they won't be rolling out anything until sometime maybe in March. I heard that my local Publix Supermarket was doing vaccinations and come down and sign up and I go to Publix to sign up and they tell me I have to sign up online,鈥� Ahern said.
"Between what we're doing in the counties, what the hospitals are doing, some of the drive-thru sites, the churches, Publix, all this stuff together 鈥� we have a lot of throughput now," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
DeSantis has been traveling across the state for weeks to announce new vaccination sites and more shipments of doses.
However, Ahern said he feels like the governor is pushing forward without making sure people like him aren't left behind.
"Somebody's got to look into it and come up with ways of dealing with people like me that don't have a computer or the elderly that, I don't know, just need help,鈥� Ahern said.
However, Ahern is not alone. Seniors across the country are facing the same frustrations, while officials say they are working on it and asking people to be patient.
