For three days, Seth Urbinder has been glued to his computer trying to get an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine, but so far, no luck.  

"It's frustrating because you look at the system and every place you go to says, ‘Schedule your vaccine,’ and there is just nothing there," said Urbinder as he attempted to secure a vaccine appointment at his kitchen table.

What You Need To Know

  • Seth Urbinder got a kidney transplant in 2015, and, as of Monday, is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine

  • Since the state site opened for registrations on Sunday, he has been trying to get an appointment

  • He has a suppressed immune system and needs the vaccine to stay safe against the coronavirus
  • He is unemployed right now and would rather spend his time looking for a job or exercising, instead of trying to secure a vaccine appointment

“This morning I could not not sleep. I woke up at five,” Urbinder said.

He qualifies for the vaccine because he got a kidney transplant in 2015, one of the underlying medical conditions covered when the state on Monday expanded eligibility for the inoculations.

On Tuesday, NY1 was at his home as he repeatedly got a message saying "No appointments available,” while trying to schedule a vaccination at a state-run site in or near the city.

"Syracuse has appointments, but I’m not traveling five hours to get a vaccine," Urbinder said.

He said when registrations began Sunday he logged on but repeatedly got a message that said he was not eligible. He says that message went away Monday, but he still has been unsuccessful.

“I don't understand why we couldn't have been just scheduling them last week," Urbinder said.

Trying to schedule a vaccination has not been his only challenge, he's also been out of work.

Urbinder said he has spent hours trying to get a vaccine appointment, time he thinks would be better spent looking for a job.

“Right now, life dictates sitting in front of a computer, hoping you find a vaccine so you can move forward with your life,” Urbinder said.

Because of the pandemic and his underlying health conditions, he tries to leave his home as little as possible. He works out by walking laps on the side of his house and trying to take 25,000 steps a day on an exercise machine.

"People with preexisting conditions were put off until now and I wish they would have included us earlier on,” Urbinder said while using his step machine in his living room.

"I take immunosuppressant medication so that the body does not reject the kidney, which then suppresses my immune system as well," Urbinder explained. “Just gotta keep doing what I'm doing."

Urbinder has managed to stay healthy, and he's now using that same determination to book an appointment. He's just hoping to get through.