Pennsylvania mother, teenage son help senior citizens get COVID-19 vaccines

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A woman and her teenage son have teamed up to help senior citizens get COVID-19 vaccines.

Donna LaMonaca, a Supervisory Transportation Security Administration Officer at Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, spends her nights registering seniors for vaccine appointments.

So far, LaMonaca has gotten appointments for more than 60 senior citizens, according to the TSA.

LaMonaca got started by helping out some of her elderly relatives who don’t have computers. They then asked her to help some of their friends. From there, she began helping strangers who have reached out after hearing what she’s been doing.

The TSA said in a news release that LaMonaca sets an alarm for 12:30 a.m., 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. to search for appointments. She discovered those to be the times that some vaccination sites are posting available time slots.

She lines up eight devices -- the family computer, laptop, three cellphones and three tablets -- to make the appointments.

LaMonaca’s 13-year-old son, Geno, also helps her snag appointments.

“He comes with me when we take people,” LaMonaca said. “He uses a checklist of what they need to bring such as photo ID, insurance card, and he helps them fill out paperwork before we get there to speed up the process.”

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Cox Media Group