‘Vaccine angels’ spend hours online, on phones registering seniors for vaccine

Many seniors, disabled citizens overwhelmed by registration process or don’t have computers

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.

They stay on the phone and online for hours, re-dialing and clicking refresh until they get through.


About the Authors:

Courtney Friedman anchors KSAT’s weekend evening shows and reports during the week. Her ongoing Loving in Fear series confronts Bexar County’s domestic violence epidemic. She joined KSAT in 2014 and is proud to call the SA and South Texas community home. She came to San Antonio from KYTX CBS 19 in Tyler, where she also anchored & reported.