Palm Desert woman helps others sign up for Covid-19 vaccinations
Babette Pelloux is not on the front lines in the war against Covid-19.
But she is joining the fight, using her laptop as her weapon of choice while helping others.
"I'm just trying to make their lives easier during a hard time," said Pelloux.
Feeling relief after receiving the vaccine herself, she decided to help others who are less computer savvy by setting appointments online for them.
"It makes me feel good to know that I'm helping my neighborhood and the more people vaccinated the quicker the better for us all," said Pelloux.
Since Sunday, using word of mouth and by posting this offer to help on Nextdoor, she has set appointments for about 30 people, including Thousand Palms residents Art and Connie Wellms.
"We haven't seen our grandchildren and children in almost two years, so we are going to Nebraska," said Connie Wellms.
Babette says on average it takes about ten minutes for her to set an appointment for the person she's trying to help.
At times, she has up to 10 tabs open on her laptop.
The retired corporate executive offers the help free of charge.
"It's really like a full time job but it's a lot of fun."
Setting appointments, Pelloux says she's gained some insights.
She describes the CVS website and the Rite-Aid websites as "excellent" when it comes to speed and ease of use..
In addition to helping the Wellms, Pelloux says she has set appointments for some restaurant employees from Indio and people with disabilities.
"I think it is fantastic. To me she is a blessing and just an incredible person," said Connie Wellms.
Pelloux says other people who would like her help in setting vaccine appointments can email her at babetteshelp@hotmail.com.
INSIGHTS FOR SETTING ONLINE VACCINATION APPOINTMENTS FROM BABETTE PELLOUX:
- CVS and Rite-Aid websites provide "excellent" user experience for speed and ease of use.
- Try entering different area codes if open appointments don't show up in results when first entering a zip code.
- Walgreen's website requires users to set up an account.
- Use social media to track vaccine availability at various vaccination clinics.
