Frustrated in your search for a COVID vaccine? These volunteers will find one for you
Shanti Shahani de Venegas has averaged about three to four hours of sleep over the last two months. That’s because she’s been living a double life: one where she does her day job and the other where she hunts down COVID-19 vaccines for people overnight.
“It’s been exhausting but really, really rewarding,” Venegas said.
Ever since the coronavirus vaccines arrived in Texas in late December, the supply has been limited but the demand has been sky-high. People have been scouring all parts of the state the last few months to get their hands on the coveted vaccine, which offers protection from a virus that has killed more than 46,000 Texans. About 9.4 million doses had been administered as of Thursday.
For the most part, people have signed up on county vaccine registration lists — eagerly waiting for their turn. Large counties are state hub providers. In Tarrant, more than 820,000 people have signed up.
This creates wait times, and some people aren’t willing to wait. Instead, they’ve taken a proactive approach and have gone on the vaccine hunt. Venegas was initially one of those who went hunting before she took on the role to sign people up.
She got her vaccine in Parker County on Feb. 2, which is about an hour and a half from her home in Plano. She booked an appointment in Parker County after she figured it wasn’t that far for her and was willing to drive.
Venegas went through the state vaccine allocation list and did her research at which county she would most likely be able to get a vaccine quickly. She did the same for her husband, who drove about two hours to Tyler.
“If you want a vaccine, you should make it your job to get a vaccine,” Venegas said. “Finding yourself on a registry is the same as posting your résumé on monster.com, like that’s not going to work. That’s not going to get you a job.”
This spurred Venegas and three other friends of her to start a mini COVID-19 vaccine booking agency, where they collect people’s information and get them appointments. People interested fill out a Google Form, which asks for their name, address, the phase they qualify for and how far they’re willing to drive.
Venegas and her group take care of the rest. Appointments for certain places would open at midnight, so Venegas and her crew would stay up until early in the morning to get people booked. Venegas has had her computer filled with tabs as she worked through the night.
People have traveled all over the state, including trips to Gun Barrel City, Parker County, Texarkana and Corpus Christi.
“In the smaller counties just outside of the urban areas, there was more availability,” Venegas said.
Their goal was to help those most vulnerable and those with little to no knowledge of technology and the nuances of search engines. They’ve been doing this since Feb. 13, free of charge. She estimates they’ve booked about 4,000 appointments ranging from county hubs to local pharmacies and large retailers such as CVS and Walmart.
“I saw that there was a need and I just couldn’t sit back and watch,” Venegas said.
The group’s effort eventually evolved to hosting a vaccination clinic in Rockwall County. The county had about 700 doses that it didn’t have appointments for but Venegas’ group had the people.
People can reach out to Venegas and her group at covvaxreg@gmail.com or by text at 469-906-0222.
A GROUP’S EFFORT
Similar to Venegas’ initiative, a Facebook group named DFW Covid Vaccine Finder has about 28,600 members from all corners of the Metroplex.
“If you’re actively looking for an appointment and you come to our group, you’re going to find one within a week,” said Payal Pate, one of the group administrators.
From early mornings to late nights, people are posting about vaccine ability, whether it is a pharmacy or one of the hubs. Thousands have posted that if it weren’t for the group, they wouldn’t have gotten vaccinated so quickly or got one at all.
Bedford resident Lauren Romano looked to the group in early March when she wanted to find a vaccine quickly before visiting her mother in May. As a person with an underlying health condition, she wanted the vaccine even before it arrived in Tarrant County.
She registered with Tarrant County Public Health in early February but wasn’t satisfied with the wait time. She instead took matters into her own hands and searched for a vaccine through the group.
Within two days, she had an appointment at a Walmart in Fort Worth. She received her first dose on March 19.
Romano’s story is shared by thousands in the group who had grown frustrated by being put on a wait list.
“I was very thankful,” she said. “I thought I was going to be waiting on that Tarrant County list and just waiting for a call or an email.”
Depending on supply and eligibility, it takes about three to four weeks to get an appointment from Tarrant County Public Health. Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director, said it doesn’t matter where people are getting vaccines as long as they’re getting it.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley has encouraged people to get on every list they can and to drive as far as they’re willing to. Eligibility opens to all adults in Texas beginning Monday.
Facebook itself launched a COVID-19 vaccine finder tool under its COVID-19 Vaccine Information Center.
Patel said the group is safe for its members. One administrator’s job is to verify every post and make sure the appointments are legit. The group started with its admins providing most of the information appointments but it has grown so big that members have taken it upon themselves to provide information as well.
“We all have one goal: that is to get every north Texan a shot if they want one,” she said.
With the vaccine becoming more and more wildly available, Patel believes the group can be useful until the end of the summer.
“We welcome the day we’re irrelevant because then we don’t have to spend about eight to 10 hours a day in this group,” she said.
This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 5:15 AM.
