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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 12 January 2021

U.S. ramps up vaccinations to get doses to more Americans

Continued from Front say they have received lit-
tle or no direct communi-
"It gives you hope," said cation from local public
David Garvin, a New Yorker health officials.
who turns 80 next weekend Joyce Ballotti, 85, and her
and got a vaccination at a 94-year-old husband went
city-run site in Brooklyn on to a vaccination site in
Monday, the first day the Pueblo, Colorado, on Mon-
state made people over day that was supposed to
75 eligible along with vari- begin at 9 a.m. But around
ous front-line workers. "I've 8:45 a.m., they were turned
been in my room for six away because it had run
months." out of vaccine.
In Southern California, "When we saw that exit
41-year-old nurse Julieann locked, we said, 'Uh-oh,
Sparks received a shot the city has screwed up
through her car window again,'" Ballotti said.
at a drive-thru vaccination A police officer managing
site that opened in a park- traffic waved them away,
ing lot near the San Diego and they received no guid-
Padres' baseball stadium. ance on other vaccine
"It really truly was a hassle- sites. Ballotti said she is an-
free experience," she said. gry and frustrated about
After receiving a vaccina- In this Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, file photo, health care workers prepare to give COVID-19 vaccinations the process.
tion, drivers had to stay at a former Sears store turned in to a vaccination site, in Rockaway, N.J. "I'm about ready to get it
there for 15 minutes so that Associated Press not at all," she said, noting
they could be watched for that the couple's son had
any reaction. Control and Prevention. Ex- the weekend, California re- for shots at the downtown taken off from work to drive
Similarly, in Britain, where a perts say as much as 85% of ported a two-day record TCF convention center, them. "I can't ask my son to
more contagious variant the population will have to of 1,163 deaths. Hospitals starting Wednesday. Of- spend his time on fruitless
of the virus is raging out be inoculated to achieve are reaching the breaking ficials plan to schedule errands."
of control and deaths are "herd immunity" and van- point. 20,000 appointments over There were snags as well in
soaring, seven large-scale quish the outbreak. About 584,000 doses have the next month for people Georgia, where the plan
vaccination sites opened Many states are respond- been administered in Cali- 75 and older. Police officers to expand access to peo-
Monday at such places as ing by throwing open the fornia, or about 1.5% of the and bus drivers can start ple over 65 got off to a
a big convention center line to other groups and population. getting vaccinated there rocky start. The websites of
in London, a racecourse ramping up the pace of Arizona, with the highest at the end of the week. at least two public health
in Surrey and a tennis and vaccinations, in some cas- COVID-19 diagnosis rate in "We do not have the ca- districts crashed Monday,
soccer complex in Man- es offering them 24-7. the U.S., began dispensing pacity to answer questions and other districts reported
chester. In California, one of the vaccinations Monday in a from people under 75 or overwhelming demand for
Across the U.S., where the deadliest hot spots in the drive-thru, round-the-clock non-Detroiters about vac- appointments.
outbreak has entered its U.S., the drive-thru opera- operation at the suburban cinations in general," said Florida, the longtime retire-
most lethal phase yet and tion outside the San Diego Phoenix stadium that is Detroit's chief operating ment haven with one of the
the death toll has climbed ballpark is gearing up to in- home to the NFL's Arizona officer, Hakim Berry. "If you biggest concentrations of
to about 375,000, politicians oculate 5,000 health care Cardinals. Shots are being are not eligible, please do elderly people in the coun-
and health officials have workers a day. Dodger Sta- offered to people 75 and not tie up the call lines." try, is using Hard Rock Sta-
complained over the past dium in Los Angeles will also older, teachers, police and The slow first stage of the dium in Miami Gardens to
several days that too many be pressed into service by firefighters. U.S. campaign has been dispense shots.
shots were sitting unused the end of the week, with In Texas, vaccine megasites blamed in part on inad- A little over 402,000 doses
on the shelves because of officials saying it will be opened at the Alamodome equate funding and guid- have been administered in
overly rigid adherence to able to vaccinate 12,000 in San Antonio and on the ance from Washington and Florida since mid-Decem-
the federal guidelines that people per day when it is Texas state fairground in a multitude of logistical ber, or just under 2% of its
put an estimated 24 million fully running. Dallas. Nearly 4,000 people hurdles at the state and lo- population.
health care workers and At the same time, Cali- were vaccinated Saturday cal level that have caused Rather than wait for the first
nursing home residents at fornia hit another gloomy at Minute Maid Park, the confusion and disorganiza- designated group of re-
the front of the line. milestone, surpassing a home of baseball's Houston tion. cipients under the federal
About 9 million Americans death toll of 30,000. It took Astros. As Colorado moves into its guidelines to get their shots,
have received their first the state six months to Detroit's call center was next phase of vaccine dis- Gov. Ron DeSantis has
shot, or 2.7% of the U.S. record its first 10,000 deaths jammed with more than tribution for people 70 and moved to open up vacci-
population, according to but barely a month to go 100,000 calls Monday as older, frustration is building nations to people 65 and
the Centers for Disease from 20,000 to 30,000. Over the city took appointments among senior citizens who over.q