Palm Beach County continues to vaccinate people at a higher percentage of its population than the rest of the state. But many seniors in the county who are not computer savvy say they are still having difficulty making online appointments.
Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Robert Weinroth says many seniors are feeling left out of the vaccination process and he's pleading for the state to make a systemic change.
Speaking at a commission meeting this week, Weinroth called on state health officials to improve support for elderly residents who are having issues accessing online COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
Weinroth says the appointment portals hosted by Publix, the Florida Department of Health and the Health Care District of Palm Beach County are too complicated for many elderly residents or have had technical issues that seniors can’t resolve.
And some elderly residents don’t have access to a computer.
State officials encourage seniors to call the health department directly for appointments. The county's health director says seniors could expect to wait six to eight weeks before they receive a call to schedule an appointment.
Elderly residents can skip online appointments by calling the health department at 1-866-201-6754 to register for a vaccine shot.
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