Valley woman hopeful she'll hug her elderly mom once again after COVID-19 vaccine

PHOENIX - A COVID-19 vaccine is on the horizon and among the first to receive doses will be healthcare workers and those at long-term care facilities, a decision made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

A woman whose 98-year-old mom is in a Valley long-term care facility says she’s excited to see this process moving forward.

“Well, it’s been tough," Charlotte Robinette said. She hasn’t been able to see her 98-year-old mom up close for months.

“It’s really hard for her 'cause she wants me to come in and hug her," Robinette said. Her mom lives at the Glencroft Center in Glendale and suffers from dementia.

The pair often visit from a distance, but Robinette says it’s difficult for her mom to understand why her daughter can’t come inside.

“It’s hard not to be able to just sit down and she wants so much to get out. She wants to go somewhere," Robinette said.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel with a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon. Being in the high-risk category at a nursing home, her mom would be among the first to qualify for a vaccine.

RELATED: Arizona expects doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of 2020 if authorized

But, Robinette is a bit apprehensive, saying, “I am just afraid of the risks 'cause are there side effects and stuff like that.”

Her mom already tested positive for COVID-19 a few months back. She was asymptomatic and has since recovered. If there is any chance of her mom contracting the virus again, she says most likely would opt for her mom to get the vaccine.

Robinette is hopeful, that very soon, she’ll be able to see her mom again, up close and safe.

“Like anybody, I want to see this go away, but we have to be patient," she said.

She did get to sit down to a social distant dinner outside with her mom for Thanksgiving, but just this week, they have gone back to all window visits as COVID-19 cases surge in Arizona and around the country.