SAN ANTONIO – They’re being called “vaccine angels.”
All over the country, volunteers are spending hours trying to get seniors and the disabled registered for the COVID-19 vaccine.
A makeshift team of angels in San Antonio is advocating for the most vulnerable people in our community.
When vaccines became available, Dalila Chapman and her three friends Grace Rea, Linda Compia, and Diana Pulido helped their older family members get registered.
“We started talking about other people who may not have family members who could get them registered,” Chapman said. “They just kind of went from there.”
She said they have already registered more than 100 people.
“The vast majority of them have been senior citizens who either don’t have access to a computer, don’t know how to work the system getting into University Health or WellMed, which are the two main sites we’ve worked on,” Chapman said.
Delila Chapman has become a "vaccine angel" helping eligible family members and other seniors sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine.
They stay on the phone and online for hours, re-dialing and clicking refresh until they get through.
Chapman said there is a limit. Once they get through to the system, they can only sign up four people at a time, then, they start all over again.
“It’s incredibly gratifying and kind of a thrill to have people be so excited to get their vaccine. They’ll send me pictures,” Chapman said “I had a family friend who had a t-shirt made saying, ‘I love my vaccinator.’ For just getting them the appointments.”
The team is also helping coordinate rides for the people they register, who don’t have transportation.
“If you get them an appointment but then they can’t get there, what’s the point?” Chapman asked.
She is encouraging others to help in the same ways, saying since larger shipments of vaccines have been coming in, the wait times have become shorter.
“You just gotta keep trying,” Chapman said.
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