42 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MAY 2021
LONG ISLAND COVID-19 VACCINATION INFORMATION FACEBOOK GROUP VOLUNTEERS
COVID VAX ANGELS
BY BRIANA BONFIGLIO
Many Long Island residents had difficulties
finding Covid-19 vaccination
appointments in the first few months of
the vaccine’s rollout. Add to that the fact
that most appointments were made online,
and some people are not so Internet
savvy, there was surely a need for help.
Luckily, Long Islanders seeking to get
the shot could turn to a trusted Facebook
group of volunteers: “Long Island
Covid-19 Vaccination Information.” The
group’s founders, Melanie Gorman
and Ericka Bolte, say they are responsible
for booking thousands of vaccine
appointments for Long Islanders since
February.
“Melanie and I were on another Covid-19
vaccine Facebook group, and it was clear
that there needed to be something a bit
more hyperlocal because New York is
such a diverse state,” Bolte says. “So we
impulsively decided to create this group
based on the need.”
The group launched in February and
attracted not only people seeking
appointments but also people looking
to help out. More than 20 people volunteered
to make appointments and many
others post updated information about
eligibility, where to get the vaccine, and
how to get it. Several of the volunteers
say that they’ve booked more than 200
appointments each.
“I was so lucky to find the group,” says
Christina Vilbig, a group moderator. “It
really helped me find appointments to
get my family and friends vaccinated
as soon as they were eligible. I became a
moderator shortly after I joined because
I wanted to give back to the group that
helped me so much.”
As of April 27, organizers say, the group
had more than 17,000 members. Behind
the scenes is a well-organized operation
of moderator group chats, Google Docs
and spreadsheets with all kinds of important
information to properly manage
the group and make sure appointments
are handled correctly. The moderators
even have a link to a public document in
the group’s “About” section for people
to see links to the various vaccine sites
across LI.
All of this was before Gov. Andrew
Cuomo announced that all New Yorkers
16 and older could walk into state-run
vaccination sites for their vaccine without
an appointment starting April 29.
Zabrina Barile, another volunteer, says
that though demand is decreasing for
appointments, the group will still be
active.
“With trials underway for kids 12 to 15
years old and potential booster shots
being noted as the next probable step
in fighting this virus, we recognize
the need for vaccination assistance or
guidance, and informational updates
will still be there for quite some time,”
she says.
Volunteers add that the experience has
been rewarding and cathartic.
“We have all been impacted by this pandemic
in one way or another,” Barile
says. “We are forever changed, but it
has not all been for the worse.”
Naomi Hassebroek receives her second
COVID-19 vaccine on March 29,
2021. (REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)
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