Prioritize COVID vaccine for Washingtonians age 80 and up. I’d want it for my parents
Mike Moyer knows all too well a frustration that people his age shouldn’t have to deal with. But it’s more than a frustration; it’s turned into a fruitless, weeks-long quest that puts the Tacoma resident and his female companion at unnecessary risk of illness, hospitalization or even death from COVID-19.
Moyer is 84, his companion 81. Neither has been vaccinated, though certainly not for lack of trying. They’ve logged long miles on dark, unfamiliar roads and long hours using unfamiliar technology.
“It seems to me that people in their 80s are being left in the dust, or at least it feels like we are,” Moyer told me. “Why don’t they take care of the most vulnerable people first?”
His situation, hardly unique, illustrates an access problem that state and local health officials should address more proactively.
When Gov. Jay Inslee expanded eligibility to those 65 and older a month ago, it created intense competition for a vaccine that remains in short supply and on an erratic distribution schedule. Many Washingtonians in their 80s still live independently rather than in congregate-care settings, where residents were among the first to get shots.
Meantime, octogenarians keep dying from COVID-19 at disproportionately high rates. A total of 440 Pierce County residents had lost their lives to the virus as of Thursday, according to Tacoma Pierce County Health Department data; 47 percent were 80 or older, though this age group comprises just 3 percent of the county population.
Or consider this fresh snapshot: Eight new coronavirus deaths were reported by TPCHD in the first two days this past week. Six of them were in their 80s.
Moyer’s efforts to protect himself included a pre-dawn trip to a vaccine event in Eatonville, where he and his companion ran into a two-mile backup of tail lights after getting lost in the dark. When they finally reached the event, they found a line of people around the block, standing in the rain with nominal social distancing, and no priority access for older seniors. So they left.
Next they tried multiple times to register for a Feb. 10-11 mass vaccination event at the Tacoma Dome but it filled up faster than they could enter their information. Website glitches and Moyer’s limited computer skills — registration had to be done via social media; he doesn’t do social media — spoiled his most recent attempts to sign up.
“It’s kind of been like chasing my tail,” said Moyer, a retired senior vice president for a resort development company. “I have a good education and a couple of master’s degrees, but I’m not a member of the digital generation at all.”
Public health officials clearly need to improve their call center, computer interfaces and outreach campaigns to help more older seniors get vaccinated, whether at healthcare facilities, pharmacies or drive-through events. If they continue to have technical snafus, like Tuesday when a registration link didn’t display on the TPCHD website, befuddled seniors will do what Moyer did and simply give up.
Pierce County would also be wise to tailor some vaccine events to people 80 and older, as communities in California have done. TPCHD recently held a clinic for people 65 and older in Buckley. Focusing on a narrower, more vulnerable age group makes sense — possibly with a requirement to show age identification, which they don’t do now. Or why not try express lines for older residents, Disney FastPass style?
TPCHD officials point to a relatively high vaccination rate of 37.7 percent among the oldest group they track (75 and older). But they don’t track doses administered to folks who live independently versus those living in long-term care settings. I suspect the rate is much lower for the former.
Of course, age isn’t the only barrier to vaccine access, and officials have been appropriately attentive to knocking them down. Special events and mobile clinics have been held to reach people of color who face higher infection rates and worse health outcomes. Likewise, TPCHD has emphasized equitable distribution among low-income, homeless and other marginalized communities.
But age is the great equalizer across demographic groups — and the one most predictive of whether someone lives or dies from COVID-19.
As for Moyer, the wait is almost over. He and his companion have a late February appointment to receive their first doses at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, which they scheduled weeks ago. He’d hoped to get vaccinated sooner but gave up.
Moyer tells me he worries many other folks his age aren’t fortunate enough to have a backup plan, or don’t have adult children nearby to help navigate the system.
Some states, including Oregon and Ohio, prioritized vaccines for 80-plus year olds in recent weeks, before gradually opening up to younger groups. Washington switched more suddenly to a 65-and-up model.
Now it’s incumbent on public health officials to ensure octogenarians aren’t left behind. I would want no less for for my parents, if they were still alive.
Reach News Tribune editorial page editor Matt Misterek at matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com