Coventry residents frustrated by vaccine sign-up process

Frustrations are mounting in Coventry, where residents 75-years-old and over were able to sign up for a limited number of vaccine spots Thursday.

COVENTRY, R.I. (WLNE) – Frustrations are mounting in Coventry, where residents 75-years-old and over were able to sign up for a limited number of vaccine spots Thursday, when a registration link went live at 9 A.M.

But those spots filled up in a matter of seconds, according to some who tried to register. There were 240 time slots.

“I went to hit enter and all the time slots were taken. At eight after nine. So that means 240 slots were taken at eight after nine,” said Mary Herron.

Herron is a full time caregiver for her 79-year-old mother and 80-year-old father.

Her mother Nancy has dementia, and her father dick had Pneumonia this year, and was recently hospitalized with breathing problems.

Herron says she was with her mother at a doctor’s appointment when the registration link went live, so she tried to register her on her phone. Her father tried to register for a vaccination on his own, but he couldn’t figure out how to use the website.

“It says to go to this link. You go to the link and it’s not like – you have to go to another page to get to the link, but that’s not clear!” said Herron. “So my father didn’t know to do that. And he was like, ‘I was clicking on something and it wasn’t going anywhere!'”

She says it points to a larger issue that the elderly are going to continue to have problems signing up.
Even the code red message that went out to residents ahead of the registration launch said, “If you do not have access to the internet, please get help from your family and friends. If you know of elderly residents, please reach out to assist them to sign up.”

“My mom has dementia, there’s no way she’s going to be able to register herself,” said Herron. “And what was frustrating is you could only register one person at a time. Which, I get that, but my parents are a couple, like they live together. So one is going to get the vaccine and the other one isn’t?”

Herron says she’d like to see a phone line for the elderly, as well as a waiting list so they can get some kind of timeline of when they’ll be able to get their vaccine.

“You try to be patient, like I was telling myself today, ‘Just be patient, what’s meant to be will be. When your parents are supposed to get it, is when they’re supposed to get it,'” she said. “But at the same time, how much patience are you supposed to have?”

ABC 6 reached out to the Coventry Emergency Management Agency to see if we could get any clarity for residents. They are urging patience, and said everyone will be vaccinated as the weeks go on and more doses become available.

The town manager has not responded to our request for comment.