'Very frustrating': Suffern couple finds no success rescheduling canceled appointment for 2nd shots

For the past month, Joan and Stephen Weiner say they had had to reschedule their second dose appointments three times - only to have them canceled every time.

News 12 Staff

Mar 2, 2021, 11:00 PM

Updated 1,314 days ago

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A Suffern couple says they are having a hard time getting the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
For the past month, Joan and Stephen Weiner say they had had to reschedule their second-dose appointments three times - only to have them canceled every time.
"This is like 'The Hunger Games,' this whole process," says Joan Weiner.
They got their first dose on Feb. 5 at a Walgreens in Westchester.
They thought it was smooth sailing from there on out. Their second dose appointments were automatically scheduled for a month later.
But then those were canceled out of the blue.
They were redirected to Walgreens locations from Ossining to Dobbs Ferry to Hawthorne to White Plains, all to no avail.
"It's very, very frustrating, but I know that this is because there aren't enough vaccines. But I still feel that Walgreens has an obligation not to give out the first dose if they couldn't follow through on the second dose," says 74-year-old Joan Weiner.
They say Walgreens never called them to help reschedule, and their biggest concern is that time is ticking.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says shots six weeks apart are OK.
"At this time, the CDC really is continuing to encourage people to stick to the recommended timing of the two doses as much as possible, but we know that's not always possible, especially with the vaccine shortages that we're dealing with," says Dr. Sandra Kesh, deputy medical director of WestMed.
Dr. Kesh says even having only the first dose is still very effective.
News 12 called and emailed Walgreens for a response, but it has not responded.