The Quest For The COVID Vaccine
The COVID vaccine remains an elusive entity to many, especially to some who are over 75 and who have underlying health conditions. It is most frustrating, to say the least. One must have access to and be able to navigate the world of technology to get an appointment. My story mirrors these challenges.
Let me begin by saying that as I write this, my husband and I have received our first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and have secured an appointment for our second dose within the recommended time period. However, it was not easy.
Our first attempt to schedule an appointment was a total failure--unsurprisingly--since our county received an initial allotment of 100 doses. Our second attempt was more successful. We were able to get appointments, but not until March 25. Despite our being registered and put on a waiting list if appointments became available sooner, other people received appointments in February. Not wanting to wait that long, we kept exploring.
In late January, we found our way to the CDC/VAMS website. Incredibly, we were able to schedule appointments for the next day! We traveled to a hospital complex in a neighboring state. The following day we received an email reminder to schedule our second appointment, online of course. We immediately went online to do just that only to be told
there were no appointments available where we had just been and none until April 5 within a 50-mile radius.
Our quest became a daily ritual until we expanded the parameter from a 50-mile radius to 100 miles. Success! We were able to secure appointments for February 18, within the recommenced timeline for our second shot. So…we will be traveling to a small town in a neighboring state for our next dose of vaccine. The distance is just about 100 miles from home. We’ll pack a picnic lunch and be on our way for our outing. Meanwhile, we are still registered on one additional site and we are hopeful that our doctor’s office might get the vaccine.
Despite the twists and turns in our quest for the COVID vaccine, we are thankful that we have been able to schedule our appointments. We hope everyone is able to do the same, but via a more direct route.