Friends Ruth Mares, left, of Lansing, Illinois, stands with Carolyn Kritzer, of Munster, Indiana, in Hammond on March 18, 2021. While they live only a few miles apart, their experiences trying to get vaccinated against COVID-19 have been very different. Kritzer described the process in Indiana as “seamless” and made an appointment in a few minutes. Mares called the system in Illinois “terrible” and hasn’t yet been able to secure an appointment. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)