STAYING THE COURSE: A close reader of this column got in touch to say she hopes reader reports of frustration over securing a vaccine appointment do not discourage people from
LENOX â âLumpy and bumpy.â Thatâs Gov. Charlie Bakerâs often-repeated description of the abysmal rollout and distribution of coronavirus vaccines across the state.
âIncompetentâ and âabsurdâ are a few of the more polite terms voiced by residents and some lawmakers to describe the botched online registration âsystemâ for finding available appointments here in the Berkshires and to our east.
The nationâs most popular governor â at least, he was in the past â has been taking his lumps not only for mismanaging the inoculation drive, but also for relaxing restrictions on restaurants, other businesses and public gatherings too quickly.
Public health specialists are warning that the moves could backfire, reversing the stateâs progress against COVID-19 and risking a new surge in cases.
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Ruth Koscelniak, who lived through the pandemic of 1918, was greeted with flowers for her vaccination for the novel coronavirus. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Lauren Gotlieb said she didn t even feel the physical pinprick of the needle. I don t even know how to describe that it s life saving, she said. It s globally life-saving. It s amazing as people that we were able to make it happen. Gotlieb was one of about 700 people who were given their first vaccine shot on Thursday at the vaccination site set up at St. Elizabeth s Parish Center. She was eligible as a health-care worker under the state guidelines since she works as an athletic trainer.
“I absolutely couldn’t sleep,” she said. Hafkin spent three hours that night trying to book another appointment through the state’s website. As of Thursday morning, she had struck out.
By Wednesday afternoon, state lawmakers were demanding that Gov. Charlie Baker fix the complicated appointment system. Emergency legislation reportedly filed Thursday by state Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, calls for a hotline in multiple languages and a one-stop, online sign-up for vaccinations accessible by desktop computer and mobile phone.
Baker said during a press conference on Thursday that the high volume of people working to secure appointments all at once made for a frustrating day, especially for those who are looking to book an appointment and couldn’t find one.