Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 89-year-old Rosa Elena Egipciaco was able to use her walker to go places. But when everyday life came to a halt last March, she could no longer go to physical therapy appointments and eventually ended up completely bedridden, according to her daughter Yessmin Egipciaco, who’s been caring for her mom for more than a decade.
Now, the younger Egipciaco wants to get her mother vaccinated. But two-and-a-half months into the city’s vaccine campaign, there’s still no program for getting shots to people who can’t leave their homes. Some seniors cannot travel to vaccination sites because they are physically unable to commute due to their age and health conditions, and others fear long lines and crowded spaces for those at a high risk of severe COVID-19.
“I started making calls here and there—the Department of Aging, to Health and Hospitals—everywhere. No vaccines. They cannot come to the house to give it to her,” said Yessmin, who lives with her mom in Sunnyside, Queens, and has been in touch with Sunnyside Community Services on vaccination possibilities.
The newly authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine could soon change that. City health officials hope to roll out the vaccine to homebound seniors through an in-home delivery program this month.
“Definitely, it will make me feel completely more at ease,” Yessmin said of her mother getting vaccinated. “If someone comes here and they use two masks, at least I know she’s protected.”
An old photograph of Yessmin and Rosa Elena Egipciaco.
Details on the program are limited, but Mayor Bill de Blasio sees the Johnson & Johnson option as a saving grace for homebound seniors. “This is one of the very best uses for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” de Blasio told reporters on Tuesday during a press briefing.
The vaccine requires one shot and can be refrigerated at normal temperatures. It is less effective than Pfizer and Moderna at protecting against infection altogether—but is highly effective at preventing severe disease and death. Health experts urge people to get whatever vaccine becomes available.
For Yessmin, the announcement comes after months of deploying extra precautions to protect her mom, who also has dementia. She requires any home health aides or visitors to wear double masks and change their shoes and clothes from those worn on the subway. She told her brother to get tested and quarantine for 14 days before coming over.
“It’s been very difficult,” Yessmin said.
De Blasio said the city would set up the program this month but cautioned how labor-intensive the effort would be. Around 70,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines will arrive beginning Wednesday or Thursday over the next two weeks, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said.
“It is something that is logistically complicated, but we’re committed to doing it in the coming days,” Chokshi added. The City Council recently passed a bill that would require the mayor’s officials to develop a plan in 30 days and publish it on the health department’s website.
The program may provide relief to seniors who can venture to a nearby vaccine hub if called upon—but with incredible difficulty. Centenarian Una Roberts, who deals with arthritis in her legs and receives her food through a Meals on Wheels program with the Lower East Side non-profit Henry Street Settlement, had a vaccine appointment at a nearby Duane Reade on Monday.
But the Two Bridges resident ended up canceling because of how much pain she was in that day. She’s been bedridden for around two months, according to her granddaughter, Ferria Charles.
“She’s very concerned about the virus entering the house,” said Charles. “We haven’t gone anywhere.” Charles added that it’s safer for her grandmother to get the vaccine in her home instead of waiting in line at a clinic.
“Also, we don't know how long the wait will be. She gets sleepy really fast,” Charles said.
Roberts dreamt of having a birthday party last summer when she turned 100 but instead joined loved ones for a virtual gathering over Zoom. Charles said her grandmother is eager to get vaccinated to be able to go to church. “I like to go to church. They’re nice people—the preacher, my pastor,” Roberts said.
A photograph from summer 2020 of Ferria Charles and Una Roberts.
Amy Chalfy, the head of residential, protective, and legal services at a senior services organization called JASA, said around 5,000 people they serve would benefit from an in-home vaccination campaign.
“We’re really thinking of people who are either really physically frail or have a cognitive issue where their ability to manage the task of going to a clinic situation for a vaccine—that can be very overwhelming,” Chalfy said. “If you’re caring for somebody who has some dementia, just having to get them to a doctors’ appointment in a timely fashion can be challenging.”
JASA, which operates 10 senior housing complexes, is among groups working with the city’s Department of Aging to develop an in-home vaccine program and identify families with homebound residents. Their complexes qualified for a federal program in which 70% of residents were vaccinated, but homebound seniors they work with are scattered at buildings across the city.
“Having an in-home opportunity would be terrific, both for the individual and of course for the caregiver,” Chalfy said.
