BY NICOLE ASBURY
An additional roughly 1,000 Douglas County senior citizens received their COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday as more doses are disseminated to the county.
Overall in Douglas County, there’s been a push for county health officials and those who work with senior citizens to connect with as many individuals as possible who qualify under Phase 2 to receive the vaccine in Kansas.
Phase 2 of the state’s vaccine distribution plan includes those 65 and older, who typically don’t use social media and technology as much to communicate, said Megan Poindexter, director of the Douglas County Senior Resource Center.
“The ways that our society has moved toward communication completely misses older adults, but they all need a vaccine,” Poindexter said.
The Senior Resource Center is coordinating a postcard campaign in partnership with county officials that details how to fill out the county’s vaccine interest form. It also has the resource center’s phone listed, so those who may need assistance filling out the form can call 785-842-0543. Poindexter projected the postcard would be sent out in about the next week.
“Nobody at this point is at risk of missing out on a vaccine — that is certainly not the case,” Poindexter said. “We do know there are a number of seniors that are feeling really anxious about this process because these are the people who have been so dedicated to staying home and staying safe and staying away from their families and friends, because they know they are the high-risk, vulnerable population.”
The Senior Resource Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Poindexter said people should press “6” after dialing 785-842-0543 and leave a voice message, though sometimes the voicemail gets full. The call will be returned within 24 hours by a member of the Senior Resource Center team.
The resource center was previously receiving roughly 200 calls per day from senior citizens, Poindexter said. Now, they receive about 90 to 120 calls each day.
Mary Ann Watts, a 75-year-old Eudora resident, received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine around mid-January at LMH Health. She qualified to receive the vaccine as a part of Phase 1 of the state’s distribution plan because she helps drive senior citizens to their medical appointments through a service at the Douglas County Senior Resource Center.
“It’s mainly older people that I drive,” Watts said. “I just felt like you know, I didn’t want to give [COVID-19] to them and I didn’t want them to give to me, so that’s why I felt like I really needed to get it.”
Watts said the process went well for her at LMH Health. She is scheduled to receive her second dose of the vaccine in February.
“I did not have any reaction,” Watts said. “I was just kinda waiting for something, but nothing happened. The shot didn’t hurt. I haven’t had anything going on now.”
Douglas County health officials launched a Phase 2 vaccination clinic last week that vaccinated roughly 1,000 people. An additional Phase 2 clinic took place Wednesday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds by appointment, with about 1,020 vaccines scheduled to be given out, said Lawrence Douglas-County spokeswoman Karrey Britt.
Poindexter said the resource center has received calls from senior citizens who worry that they filled out the form incorrectly because they haven’t received a call back to schedule an appointment. She encouraged people to remain patient as they wait to hear back for their appointment.
“It is really normal for them to continue to feel really anxious to get their vaccine appointment as soon as possible,” Poindexter said. “The county is truly working as hard as they can and as fast as they can to get the shots into everyone’s arm as quickly as they can.”
Douglas County residents can indicate their interest in receiving the vaccine and how they want to be notified once the vaccine is available through dgcoks.org/vaccineinterestform.
Reach reporter Nicole Asbury at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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