THUNDER BAY – Frank Brown wants a return to some form of normalcy.
He wants to get together with his friends. He wants to be allowed to stop wearing a mask when he’s out shopping for groceries.
Most importantly, at least at the moment, the 85-year-old would like to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
That’s where the frustration sets in.
Brown says he’s repeatedly tried to phone in for an appointment when directed to do so by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, but has been unable to get through.
Friday morning left the senior, who once headed the city’s parking authority, with more disappointment.
Brown said he probably made between 30 and 40 separate calls trying to get through, only to find out within the first half hour all of the appointments for March 8 had been filled.
He also tried earlier in the week, when the first three days of appointments were made available, again with no success.
“All morning it’s been nothing but busy. Obviously, you can’t get through because there’s only one phone line,” Brown said.
The health unit clarified there are in fact 46 separate lines in operation.
He’d like to see the health unit open multiple lines and start taking names, so seniors don’t have to repeatedly phone in trying to book a time to get a vaccine.
“The simplest thing they could do is set up a bank of lines in some fashion so you can phone in, they’ll take your name, put it on a list,” Brown said.
While they might not be able to provide an exact date of when the person calling in can head to the vaccine clinic at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition’s Coliseum building, they could place each caller in a specific bloc.
When that bloc is called and given a date, everyone in that particular queue would know it’s their turn to get vaccinated.
“If you’re in No. 1, we’ll announce to the press that No. 1 is going to be next Tuesday. If you’re in No. 16, it might be March 22,” said Brown, an eight-time cancer survivor.
“They can at least announce that your name is on a list. As it is right now, you can’t even get your name on a list.”
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit announced on Friday at 8:30 a.m. it was taking appointments for a March 8 clinic. By 9:02 a.m. they tweeted that all bookings for that date were full and closed the phone lines. Web bookings are also overloaded.
“We are experiencing an overwhelming demand, more appointments will be available shortly. Your patience is appreciated!” the health unit tweeted.
“And by ‘available shortly’ we mean ‘available as soon as possible.’
The health unit recommends those booking appointments do so online, but Brown said not all seniors, lumping himself in the category, are computer savvy.
