NAHANT — Beginning Friday, residents eligible under Phase II of the state’s vaccination rollout can call Nahant Town Hall to be guided through the process of scheduling an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The town-led effort is meant to reduce confusion surrounding vaccination sign-ups — which, under Phase II, include those ages 65 and older — as many of Nahant’s elderly residents reportedly struggle to make sense of the online process.
“Since the governor announced the date (for Phase II to begin), we’ve been inundated with calls from people 75 and older who are frustrated because they’re going onto the state website and they can’t book an appointment,” said Linda Peterson, executive director for the Nahant Council on Aging. “Most of them are not computer-savvy.”
Residents can now contact any of the four specially-designated phone numbers that will be staffed during regular Town Hall hours by town employees and volunteers who will take callers on a step-by-step walk-through of the sign-up process, which opened statewide on Wednesday.
Although communities across the Commonwealth have reported similar problems with vaccination sign-ups among their elderly populations, for a town as small as Nahant, the issue has only been compounded by the fact that nearly one-third of its residents are aged 65 or older.
“They’re vulnerable, and the big issue right now is getting people signed up for vaccines on these websites,” Peterson said. “They need email addresses. They need telephone numbers.
“A woman I just spoke to had an email address but not a cellphone, and that created another issue.”
Town Administrator Antonio Barletta noted that while the town isn’t able to provide any more access to appointments, it can help make the process easier.
“We have the same amount of access to appointments as everyone else does, but we’re trying to bridge that gap by helping our older residents register online,” he said.
Phase II vaccinations begin February 1 at all state-designated vaccination sites.
For help setting up an appointment, residents can call the Council on Aging at (781) 581-7557, or the Town Hall at (781) 771-5632, (781) 771-6230, or (781) 771-8222.
“We’re just trying to help (residents) get through the frustrating part,” Barletta said. “We realize that, because there’s a limited number of vaccines available, it’s going to take time.
“Many times we’re not going to be able to schedule an appointment, but if we can help them navigate and at least try, or call them back once an appointment is available, we’ve done our part in being a resource.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
