Vaccination Appointment So Far

[mso489]

Let's not debate it. A majority of people would like to get a Covid vaccination, and if you are one of those, here are a few notes from one who has, in collaboration with my wife, managed to get an appointment (drive through) next week. I'm not a huge fan of vaccinations, but I've done pretty well with flu shots over the years, and the Navy inoculated me against diseases I've never heard of in boot camp, several shots a week. So, we worked on this appointment for weeks. My wife signed up for us both at her hospital My Chart Site, and I signed us up with our pharmacy, with no word from either of them. We finally went directly to the county health department and managed to get on the waiting list as people over 65 (well over). But no appointment. Finally we were offered an appointment but lacked the username that was supposed to come by email from the state health department. Ugh, bureaucracy. My wife waited for most of an hour and contacted the county hotline and they simply signed us up for a time and a place, confirmed by email later. So far so good. A quiet hurrah. So it ain't easy, but despite our doubt, this much is possible. We're signed up for dose one of Pfizer. Meanwhile, a friend in a different large city in our state has completed both doses, as has a friend in Louisiana, and various friends around town. Right now it takes some footwork and aggravation, but it can be done.

 

[Casual]

I hope you and your wife get what you want from the bureaucracy. The management of such things is pretty terrible in most places it seems.

But I do have to mention that it is odd to read your statement of the form: “Let’s not debate it. <Controversial statement.>” Especially when it doesn’t even bear on the information you were writing the story to tell us. Seems like a way to try and have a one sided debate on a hot topic.

 

[danimalia]

I'll be pretty happy to get mine. We're still doing primarily elderly people and frontline workers here in California. I may be part of the next group that starts getting the shots next week due to my job. We'll see. As eager as I am to get vaccinated to avoid catching the virus and its potential complications, I am even more excited for things to get back to some semblance of normal. I am dying to go to a ballgame, a concert, a movie.... Damn near anything.

That said, I know how fortunate I've been with my family and I having been spared from the worst effects of this thing. It has been truly awful for so many families.

Hope your appointment goes smoothly, Mso!

 

[ray47]

Hope you can get your shots soon. I've had both my shots and at least for me the side effects were very mild. Just a sore arm and some minor fatigue for 2 days. Nothing to keep me from my daily routines.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Glad you were able to get an appointment. I got my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine on 2/10, second shot scheduled 3/3. My brother and sister in law are both over 75 and have had both Pfizer doses. They both had sore arms from the first dose, which I did, too, but very moderate compared to my experiences wit various vaccines in childhood and adolescenc. My brother reported his arm was much sorer for about two days from the second shot, my sister in law said she felt like she was taking the flu and had a slightly elevated temperature the next day, but by the second day she only felt mild fatigue

I think feelings about vaccines are generational. I have a distinct memory of lining up in the school cafeteria at age 6 to receive the Salk polio vaccine. My brother had a playmate who contracted polio . He lived for a few years in an iron lung and died. My parents and all of the neighborhood parents were so relieved that this miracle came along. They were really paranoid about things like letting us go to the swimming pool. Any hint that any polio cases had appeared anywhere in the region was enough to keep us mostly grounded.

Since those days, even when I was past the age where if you were enrolled in school you got vaccinated for whatever disease came along, I have always made sure to get ant vaccination my doctor advises with no qualms or hesitation.

 

[mso489]

Casual, sorry to sound preemptory; I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean to start a post debating whether vaccination is good, or whether these vaccines are efficacious. I just meant to give my experiences in scoring an appointment at long last. For two or three weeks, it just seemed futile. Also, if people want to debate something else, I have no control over that. Just wanted to give hope for people who are as frustrated as I was. I also remember the polio epidemic and the marvel of getting vaccine, first as a shot, later as an automated vaccination gun, and finally as a sugar cube. Before that, we had strangely quiet summers when we didn't go to the swimming pool and stayed in the basement making wooden ships, to stay isolated.

 

[warren]

Casual doesn't parse well I suspect and appears to wish this thread to quickly become a political discussion. So, IBTL!

I suspect I'm in the minority here. I've qualified for mine up here in Alaska for the past two months. I've chosen to wait another 6 months or so. At least until there is a time frame for accessing the the vaccines. Plus, I'm interested in the Johnson and Johnson single shot. So, I'll wait a bit longer. Being asocial waiting shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Peter Peachfuzz]

I've had both from the V.A... They called to ask if Thursday of Friday worked best and offered multiple time slots. I was out in under 30 minutes including the required 15 minutes after. The second shot was automatically scheduled for 28 days. I was out in under 30 again. They were doing 400 a day.

 

[3rdguy]

My parents just got the 2nd shot, no issues. They are 85 and 86 years old.

I myself was fairly sick for 12 hours after the 2nd but smooth sailing since.

 

[tnfan]

Good for you. My wife (age 76) and I 9age 74) fortunately had no issues getting our appointments. The county we live in has done a good job with the automated scheduling. She had her first shot on 2/2 and the second is scheduled for 2/24. I had my first shot on 2/12 and second is scheduled for 3/5. We both got the Pfizer vaccine. Only a sore arm for a couple of days. I have a compromised immune system due to a bone marrow disease so I’m a little concerned about the efficacy. It has to be better than nothing at all.

 

[lraisch]

My wife and I got our first Moderna shots in January and were supposed to get our second shots today. That has now been delayed a week due to transportation issues caused by the weather. We were contacted by our usual provider and just asked to pick a time, so that went fairly smoothly.

I am amazed that something like this has been politicized and can only conclude that far too many people have chosen conspiracy theories over rational thought.

 

[Casual]

Casual, sorry to sound preemptory; I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean to start a post debating whether vaccination is good, or whether these vaccines are efficacious. I just meant to give my experiences in scoring an appointment at long last.

Understood. I know how frustrating it is to deal with medical bureaucracy. You need to work the system like you’re trying to get a refund on a lemon of a used car.

 

[dmcmtk]

If you want some good information about vaccines, and covid in general, check out Dr. John Campbell on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Campbellteaching/videos

Be curious what states you all are in.

 

[kola]

No thanks. I'll pass. And good luck to those getting the jabs.

 

[mso489]

I was attracted to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for its one-dose feature, but decided we had better get what is available. Even with both doses, there may be follow-up boosters for variant strains. I hope those would be one dose. If cases and hospitalizations and deaths trend down, that may squash the variants. I'm hoping the schedule of the second dose of Pfizer is completely routine and not the chase the first dose was. I hope everyone who wants a dose or two gets them, and that that limits the contagion so even the unvaccinated are protected. No carriers, no spread. I think so far there have been no Covid deaths among the vaccinated, if I understand correctly.

 

[sablebrush52]

I was very lucky. Every time slot here in LALA Land had been taken and I was watching the LA County site constantly to see if an opening showed up. Then, a friend of a friend of a friend, whose daughter is an MD at a small clinic that received doses for 600 people, sent me a link to sign up. The first shot (Moderna) went smoothly and I get my 2nd shot this Thursday. I've been following the information on these various vaccines since last summer and have no reluctance to get the jab.
Surviving a bout with Covid doesn't result in enough of an antibody response to bring about any level of immunity. But, Pfizer is conducting a study that suggests that people who caught Covid need only one shot to achieve a strong antibody response. This could be helpful in easing the distribution bottleneck that is plaguing the roll out.

 

[tnfan]

If you want some good information about vaccines, and covid in general, check out Dr. John Campbell on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Campbellteaching/videos

Be curious what states you all are in.

Tennessee.

 

[Akousticplyr]

Received both shots from the Navy as I am an instructor on base with a lot of face to face and classroom instruction.
After the second shot, I had mild flu like symptoms and a 99.9 fever for a day, but that was it.

 

[ashdigger]

I’m 57 and self employed. My state, Nevada, is concerned with “vaccine racial equity” so......

 

[sablebrush52]

I’m 57 and self employed. My state, Nevada, is concerned with “vaccine racial equity” so......

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They don't have any classification for people with underlying health conditions?