Ann Bartow’s outing to Walgreens was one of the only times she left her house in over a year.
The 57-year-old Concord resident, who qualified for the vaccine in Phase 1b because of an autoimmune disease and a heart condition, felt like she had taken every precaution to keep herself safe— her health conditions place her at a high risk of developing a serious illness due to COVID-19.
She was excited to receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which signaled the beginning of the end of her concerns about going out and contracting the virus. Instead, as she walked into Walgreens for her appointment, COVID panic flooded in.
The vaccine line, which kept six feet of distance between each person, snaked right next to the pharmacy line, where people were waiting to pick up prescriptions. The store in Hooksett was bustling with customers last Friday afternoon just before 4 when she arrived for her appointment.
“I’m standing there freaking out because the prescription line people are coming through and they’re coughing. They’re sick people getting prescriptions,” she said.
In early February, Gov. Chris Sununu announced the state would partner with Walgreens to expedite the vaccination process. The pharmacy chain offers vaccine appointments at 32 locations across the state.
Whereas many other vaccine sites in the state safely administer the shot through your car window, vaccine appointments at Walgreens often require appointment holders to come into the store.
This poses a difficultly for people who, like Bartow, must choose between giving up a coveted vaccine appointment slot or standing in close proximity to others, indoors, for long periods of time.
“I kept thinking, ‘man what if I got it while I was getting the vaccine,’ ” she said. “I felt trapped and I think that’s how the other people felt, because to other people like we’re shuffling around nervously but, it’s like, they’re so desperate to get the vaccine.”
Bartow said she was in the pharmacy for over an hour while she waited for her shot. She said she tried to step back from the crowd during her observation period, the 30 minutes after the shot when individuals are monitored for adverse reactions, but employees asked her to return to the sitting area, right beside the pharmacy line.
“Because of my comorbidities, I’ve been extremely careful and barely left the house and the most dangerous thing I’ve done in a year was to go to get my first vaccine,” she said. “It was terrifying.”
After Bartow tweeted about the experience and tagged Walgreens, her second dose appointment at the pharmacy chain was “canceled by clinic staff,” according to an email she received. She was able to rebook an appointment at a different vaccination site.
Campbell O’Connor, a spokesperson for Walgreens, said the pharmacies are taking a number of precautions to meet CDC guidelines for administering the vaccine. O’Connor said the pharmacies have a daily screening process for employees, which includes a temperature check before the start of each shift. Staff members also wear disposable face masks and follow proper hand hygiene and glove use procedures that are typical for immunizations.
He did not comment on the pharmacy’s social distancing policies or Bartow’s canceled appointment. Walgreens will continue assisting the state with the next phases of vaccinations, which include Granite Staters over 50 and school staff.