Elderly citizens gleeful as US begins pharmacy vaccinations

World

Published: 2021-02-13 16:15

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 00:40


Source: Supermarket news
Source: Supermarket news

The announcement of the start of the Coronavirus vaccination campaign in US pharmacies represents, for some, an opportunity to meet grandchildren. For others, it's simply the first step towards returning to a normal life.

On Friday, pharmacies across the United States began vaccinating citizens after receiving one million vaccines sent by President Joe Biden's administration, in a new indication of the acceleration of the vaccination campaign in the country.

On a cold day in Bethesda on the outskirts of Washington, DC, groups of elderly people were arriving continuously to receive a first dose of the Moderna shot at a local CVS.

"It's so cool and easy," said Ted Puchter, 76.

His wife, Liz Pouchter, explained that their daughter registered them on a website to receive the vaccine the day before at 6:30 in the morning.

"I tried to call and the appointments were full, but our daughter tried on the computer and she succeeded," said the 67-year-old woman who works for the National Gallery of Art. She jokingly added that she "felt a little pain" upon receiving the vaccine.

About 6,500 pharmacies and drugstores have begun vaccinating citizens with the first dose as part of a federal partnership. The program is expected to expand to 50,000 sites.

This was seen as a way to reduce the burden on government health departments while making it easier for people accustomed to receiving flu vaccines in places such as CVS pharmacies and RiteAid and Walgreens.

After a slow start, 35.8 million people in the US have so far received at least a first dose, accounting for 10 percent of the population.

- Help from the boys -

Like the Butchter couple, Thamina Mirmirani needed her son's help to book her appointment online early Thursday.

The 81-year-old, who was once a journalist in her native Iran, said she looked forward to meeting her grandchildren soon.

As for Li, a retired 72-year-old who refused to give his full name, he said he was happy to receive the vaccine after trying for weeks, explaining, "We registered everywhere we could register, in the province and state."

But he regrets that his wife, who was with him, was not able to get the vaccine on Friday, which means they had to return to the appointment Monday.

"Our grandson will graduate from university. We would like to be able to attend the graduation ceremony," if it happens, he said.

"We hope that the summer will bring better results for Covid with the vaccine. I hope that they will be able to vaccinate a large number of people by that time," he added.