To the Editor:
This letter is not about the vaccine supply. I understand the time it takes to manufacture and distribute millions of doses for vaccines just recently approved. I will make just one comment on supply – one of our new commissioners (working on New Year’s Day, no less) emailed that the state is allocating vaccine partially based on the number of cases and deaths in each county! The message: If you are responsible, wear a mask, and socially distance, you will go to the end of the line!
My comments are primarily about the lack of any system to register, prioritize, and notify people when doses of the vaccine are available. The state and county have had months to create an online system to accomplish this. Publishing a single phone number or saying “first come, first served” is not a plan, it’s a recipe for chaos.
In this age of technology, I can pay taxes online, renew my driver’s license, register my vehicle, register to vote, or organize a trip anywhere in the world. Why isn’t there an online system to sign-up for a vaccine for the biggest virus threat in the last hundred years?
Secondly, where is the leadership? The federal government punts the ball to the states, the state to the counties and then the process begins a slow death. There has also been no apparent leadership from major healthcare providers. Honestly, this process could be more successful if the vaccine were just distributed in the private sector by the major pharmacy providers!
Finally, there is almost no communication! There has been little to no worthwhile communication from the county, major healthcare providers, newspapers, or elected officials at the local level.
We deserve a better plan for vaccine distribution for this major health and economic crisis!
Daniel Olvey
Village of Pennecamp
