NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — As New York expands the number of people who are eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine, some people say they’re being turned away.
Rafael Ramon Cruz is a 68-year-old parent coordinator with New York City’s Department of Education, eligible for COVID vaccination.
He says he got an official invite to get shot one at Castle Hill Houses, a short distance from his Bronx home.
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He says along with dozens of others, he was turned away.
“We showed our appointment, some got a phone call, and they said they weren’t taking anybody unless you lived in the immediate projects,” Cruz told CBS2’s Dave Carlin.
“But they had invited you,” Carlin said.
“They had invited me and I showed him the thing, but they said, oh no there’s been a mistake,” Cruz said.
He says the run-around for him was just beginning, and hours later, he wound up at Yankee Stadium, which opened as a vaccination center on Friday.
Cruz says once there, he was told to get in line and register. He waited in line for two hours and managed to schedule an appointment for next week.
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There can be a feeling of elation when getting the appointment and then a shot without getting a run-around.
Just ask 75-year-old Julie, who did not want to give us her last name. She scored an appointment without a hitch at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church.
“Excellent. My pastor gave out the information Monday night, I called Tuesday morning, and I had an appointment for today. They gave me an appointment,” she said.
But city and state officials admit there should be more happy cases and fewer instances of vaccine inequities and confusion.
Ninety-two-year-old Ramona Schoen said she was turned away from a Harlem vaccination site because her primary address is Plainview, Long Island.
“To me, it’s a disgrace. It’s just a disgrace,” Schoen said.
RELATED STORY: Local Pharmacies Eager For Additional Shipments Of COVID Vaccine
She said she made her address clear on the application, got the appointment and went only to get her time wasted and be left in limbo.
“They should have the vaccine available, and especially when they give you an appointment and then reject you,” she said.
Even with new vaccination sites opening, the ongoing lack of supply means problems persist.
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