Let's Talk Tuesday: Vaccine Rollout

If you had about a year to plan for something, wouldn't you think you'd have a fairly good execution in place? Not if you're the U.S. Government! For all those conspiracy theorists, you give waaaaaay too much credit to the powers that be!

In our state, vaccine sign up for 80+ began January 19. Then they began dropping the age requirement in 5 year increments weekly, so 75+ was January 25, etc. with the addition of school/medical personnel and those with certain health conditions scattered in. The problem was, and still is, that there is not nearly enough vaccine being supplied. And it's mass chaos booking an appointment online. 

My mom, age 82, does not use a computer. She signed up for the vaccine at her neighborhood drugstore, where she was told in January that she'd be called in soon. After waiting 6 weeks and not hearing a word, she returned to that drugstore to ask what was up. They couldn't give her a reason why she was never called, but they told her to come back at the end of the following day and they would give her the shot. She did that, but then did not receive an appointment for the 2nd shot. I'm assuming they gave her what's known as 'leftover' vaccine that was for someone who didn't show up for their appointment.

My age group was given the green light on March 11th, but unfortunately, Ohio decided to increase the increment by 10 years, so it was 50+, skipping right over 55+. I had prepped myself ahead of time, trolling the drugstore websites to familiarize myself with the process. The state government website is a joke, making you fill out info to see if you are eligible each time you log on, and then just listing the drugstores near your zip code. I call that a phone book, but I'm old school! Yes, I know where all the pharmacies are located. In a nutshell, this is what the registration process is like:

I began at 6 am on March 11th. CVS just stated that they had no appointments available in the entire state. Walgreen's, Rite Aid and Walmart made you jump through hoops with their forms, and then you'd find some random appointment at 3 pm on a Tuesday, 150 miles away. I had friends who were in the 60+ category who took that route and now have to spend two full days driving 4-6 hours round trip to bumfuck country to get their shot. Drug Mart doesn't even allow you to see their appointment schedule; you just have to give them your info to be put on a list. Primary care providers? No vaccine. Now, if you're a current patient with certain hospital systems, you might find an appointment downtown, but they discriminate if you are not. I tried a few grocery store chain pharmacies, but again, no appointments available. Giant Eagle even had an online waiting queue (30-60 minutes) just to look at their scheduling site, where there would then be no appointments. I even tried a health department in Amish country, thinking I could get a spot there. Nope!

I checked out VacQueens on facebook for ideas and Dr. B's standby vaccine list. I put my name on every online list I could find. It's incredible to me that regular folks like me have started 'businesses' just to help people get vaccinated, but nobody in the federal, state, or local government is doing much of anything. I really can't fully explain to you how frustrating the entire process has been. Then there was this option:

A FEMA site at a university. I know two people who were able to get an appointment here. My husband and I concluded that if we aren't willing to attend a concert or sporting event, we weren't going to sit in an auditorium with hundreds of unvaccinated people.

Well, I'm known for my perseverance. After a number of days of being attached to the screen, constantly refreshing page after page, I scored at a CVS that was only 27 miles from home. After quickly filling out the form (have your insurance card handy!) and picking a time slot for both my first and second shot, I went back to the page to start again for my husband. The time slots near mine were already taken, but I got him booked for an hour after mine both days.

From there, it was all downhill, in a good way! A confirmation text and then a text that morning as a reminder, with a link to check in from your car 15 minutes before your appointment. My husband stayed in the car when I went in, but then I noticed a couple in front of me ask at the pharmacy if they could just go together and were told yes. I texted my husband to just come in and check in at the pharmacy, so he was about 5 people behind me in line. The line moved quickly. 

My husband took this photo of me right before it was my turn. I'm not a fan of needles, but I have to say, the guy who gave me the shot did a great job and I barely felt a thing. You were on the honor system, having to wait inside the store for 15 minutes afterwards. We roamed the aisles for  a bit, bought some dark chocolate, and then headed home. My arm started feeling sore that evening, but that happens to me with my annual flu shot, so nothing new there. In three weeks, we will do it again. The governor is opening up the eligibility to all adults by the end of this month, so I will see if anything improves by then when I try to find an appointment for Middle Child. Wish me luck!