Remember the I Voted! thread?
Well, commenter cope suggested that we do the same for getting the vaccine.
My wife and I just got ours this past Saturday and the whole process filled me with hope, almost as much hope as when I saw our ballots had been counted in November.
People could talk about the process, why they were able to get it when they did and how they feel after having done so. You could even award a bandaid in lieu of the “I Voted” sticker or even two bandaids for those who have had both shots.
I thought it was a great idea, and I asked MazeDancer if she could whip up some stickers for us, which she did. There will be more stickers coming over time, hopefully with Lily, Champ, Tikka, Samwise, Max, my little Henry, and more.
I know we have at least a couple of people who got their shots yesterday, and some of you are lucky enough to have already gotten the first one.
You can also post to the thread if a family member or a member of your household gets the shot, even if you haven’t yet, because that affects us, too.
This post will be in the sidebar. Pick your sticker when you post, and that’s the one you’ll get. Otherwise, I will choose.
Even while we’re holding our collective breath until Jan 21, it’s important to celebrate what’s good.
And no, I did not get the shot. That’s just the title of the thread.
Ella in New Mexico
Got my #2 Shot yesterday and aside from a really sore arm, doing well.
Chetan Murthy
@Ella in New Mexico: The future is already here; it’s just unevenly distributed. Now to distribute it further from where you are, until it reaches where all the rest of us are *grin*. So happy to hear that you’re past shot #2!
raven
Number 1 yesterday. In deep blue Athens all seven people in the post-shot waiting room were yankees.
Betty Cracker
Badger is up to date on all his shots!
rk
I got the pfizer shot at the beginning of the month. Sore arm for two days, but that was about it. My co workers who got the second shot had more issues. General achiness and not feeling well. But nothing major.
Gin & Tonic
My dear wife has gotten both doses of the Pfizer, with few, if any, side effects. I, unfortunately, have to wait.
For your wife:
rikyrah
SO happy for you :)
Matt McIrvin
I’m so glad to hear all of this.
My mother-in-law is a retired nurse and has been fighting the powerful urge to do something to help, in the face of the obvious danger to herself. But our mayor just announced that the city is looking for volunteers with medical experience to administer vaccines, and given that the people doing it would undoubtedly get vaccinated first, that’s her opening–she’s already applied.
JPL
@Gin & Tonic: My second shot is scheduled for 2/2/2021. Did your wife mention if the second shot caused more discomfort? I got my first shot yesterday and there is minimal stiffness in my arm, but that’s it.
narya
I can’t figure out how to get a sticker . . . :-(
But I got my Moderna #1, on Friday, and am scheduled for the second one! I only had a sore arm for two days, which is the same reaction several team members had. Another coworker was severely fatigued for the day after. At an all-staff yesterday, a doc who got the full series (w/ her husband) said she didn’t have much reaction to either, except for the soreness and a little fatigue one day, but her husband ran a fever of 102 for a day.
And my 85- and 90-year-old parents are in line as I type, 950 miles away, awaiting their first shots!
Don K
Supply seems to be tight in MI, as the hospital group where I see doctors had one appointment available this morning at a location too far away to drive in time for the appointment, and no others available for the foreseeable future, and the county health department had none available, period. I suspect ratfucking by Cheetolini and his minions to further punish Whitmer. So no shots yet in this household.
Gin & Tonic
@JPL: There was more discomfort at the injection site, but she attributed that to poor technique. Who knows? In the scheme of things it was minor.
raven
@JPL: I think it’s all individual and it doesn’t really matter does it? The shingles shots kicked both of our asses but they are a whole lot better than shingles.
The Pale Scot
Here in Charlotte county FL the gov has 600 doses a week to hand out to over 65’s and healthcare workers. You are suppose to make an appointment on a county website, the slots are gone within minutes. I’m just trying to my dad vaccinated, I used three computers when the cattle call started at 9am. All I got were cloud flare notifications, url defense pages, didn’t get a sniff. What is really frustrating is that I don’t get to see the actual sign up page at all, so I don’t know what to look for to decide whether I’m looking at a cached page or an active one.
I think I’ll go the outdoor tables at local library next week, Comcast sucks
The Pale Scot
@Betty Cracker:
As he should be
sab
Old in Ohio so my shot is mere weeks away. My dad age 96 got his first shot Dec 29.
His nurse’s aide didn’t want hers. Erases all my guilt about putting her on the frontline to protect dad.
For your dad:
Woodrow/asim
My live-in Partner gets her 2nd shot next week, my Brother in the next month or so (both health care workers)!
I’m so excited for them — and for me!
FridayNext
My wife got the shot on Saturday. She is a cytogenetic lab technician in her 50’s. I am the same age and work at Trader Joe’s. I should be getting my shot in the next week or so
She was elated as was I for her. I am hopeful and excited.
For your wife:
Victor Matheson
My wife works in a patient-focused setting in genetics at the major local hospital. She has one shot (Pfizer) down and the next in two weeks. No shot for me anytime soon, but at least my main vector will be down.
For your wife.
Wag
Got my second shot last Friday. Felt like crap Saturday, but fine ever since.
Get the shot!
gvg
My sister the doctor got her first about 2 weeks ago. My parents in their 70’s got their first Friday. Gainesville Florida. I don’t really expect mine for months.
One balloon for each of them!
WaterGirl
@Matt McIrvin: That’s really great, on both counts! Helping, and getting the shot.
Mudbrush
Get my second shot next week. Wearing a mask is so hardwired by now that it will be hard to get used to not wearing one… This summer? Come fall? 2022? All good to me. I prefer wearing a mask, I’m not good looking, hides my worst features!
Come back for your other sticker when you get the second shot. :-)
kindness
I got my 1st Covid vaccine 2 weeks ago. My second one is coming up in another week & a half.
I just want to mention that there is a small contingent of folks out there (Hello fellow Deadheads) who refer to dosing as having eaten acid. Yea, we’re a tiny group who no one should probably pay attention to but that is what runs through my mind when I see that term used that way.
WaterGirl
@kindness: Vaccination and vaccine have too many letters. :-)
kindness
@WaterGirl: Flashbacks maybe. I’m at work so I can’t do art. I tried to paste pinwheels over the eyes of Badger but this computer doesn’t have any Adobe or art programs on it so I can’t do it. Damn.
The Moar You Know
@raven: First shingles shot was fine. Second one put me on my ass for a couple of days. That was fucking rough. As you note, far better than shingles.
There’s pretty much nothing the COVID shot can do short of outright killing me that’s worse than actually getting COVID, so this is a no-brainer.
Reading all of you actually getting it, while my 75+ year old parents are still waiting for any news on when they might get it, is telling me that CA is seriously fucking up in the delivery department. This gets fucked up enough, I’ll sign Newsom’s recall petition myself. He did a good job with lockdowns but he needs to be getting the vaccine out NOW.
VeniceRiley
Moderna last Thurs night. Work doing doses day and night to get everyone in clinics and senior centers done. LA County starts this week for our elderly patients.
My only symptoms were sore arm a couple days (milder than this year’s flu shot) and was fine afterwards until I was woozy overnight.
AndoChronic
Have my 2nd dose schedule for 1/18!
debbie
The genius state of Ohio will be running out of vaccines today or tomorrow, with the next shipment not due until next Tuesday. I’ll be lucky to get the first shot at all in February.
Matt McIrvin
@The Moar You Know: I’m between the two shots on the shingles vaccine right now (you have to wait a couple of months in between), so I have that to look forward to! That’s what everyone says–it’s rough but a hell of a lot better than getting shingles. But I suppose I’ll fit it in with all the other medical stuff I have queued up (I’m making up a lot of late-middle-age “technical debt” on healthcare, you might say).
WaterGirl
@kindness: Well, if you come up with something at home, let me know!
Miss Bianca
Right now listening to my clown car county admins having an “emergency meeting” talking about procedure. I would say “we are so fucked”, except the actual vax clinics are now unrolling. 300 doses will be administered by end of week. I am going to sign up for mine, since I am considered a “frontline journalist” (!!), so I may squeak into category 1B essential workers. A gal can dream!
WaterGirl
@Miss Bianca: crossing fingers for you.
randy khan
My wife and I are in the third group (called 1c, maybe to make us feel like we’re really in the first group) in Virginia. Basically, we’re part of the last chunk of priority vaccines, in the top half but not the top quarter or third. So we won’t get the vaccine for at least another month, probably longer.
But by the time the weather is warm again, we probably will be vaccinated and out of our cocoon. I’ll take it.
Greg Ferguson
All of these are great (& a fine idea) — however, rollout here in AZ is really just starting. Let you know when that changes! ???
Matt McIrvin
@debbie: Running out is good, in a way–it means they actually managed to administer the doses they got. Massachusetts is way behind on that right now.
Gretchen
My New York respiratory therapist son in law got his second shot last week. Phew! I’ve been so worried about him all this time. He helped his manager intubate the first covid patient their hospital received. She got it and died. They didn’t have enough supplies for months, and he had one N95 mask that he kept in a paper bag between shifts and reused for a week. He’d change his clothes in the parking lot after work, and ran upstairs to shower as soon as he got home in hopes of not bringing it home to my daughter, his wife. His usual workload was 7 or 8 patients on ventilators, and at the worst, in April and May, he had 70 or 80. I am so relieved he is protected. I hope.
Yay!
Wag
@Wag:
Steve looks a lot like our cat, Avanti! Thanks for the sticker.
way2blue
My son got his first Moderna injection last week. He’s young & healthy, but also a research immunologist who works with HIV patients in a hospital setting.
WaterGirl
@Gretchen: @way2blue:
Every medical person who gets both shots is making the world safer for every patient and for their families.
Ruckus
@raven:
I guess I was lucky, the shingles shot didn’t hurt in the least. Shingles OTOH – DAMN, that was, what’s the exact opposite of no big deal?
Wag
@Ruckus: I think for that one you need to go back to when Biden was out VP. A BFD!
sab
@Mudbrush: Keep wearing it, for public relations. Until everyone has had access to vaccinations it should be rude to be out without a mask.
J R in WV
@The Moar You Know:
Newsom is not responsible for vaccine issues. No state can form and execute a strategy without knowing anything about deliveries of vaccine.
The federal handling of the vaccine supply is deliberately fucked up, in order to kill as many residents in Blue Democratic states as possible. This is planned and executed by the White House, staff working for Trump, there is nearly nothing Gov. Newsom can do about it as long as Trump controls the vaccine supply.
J R in WV
@sab:
Fixed this for you, I think it is now what you meant!!
Starboard Tack
Got the first Pfizer yesterday in Denver. Second one on 2 February. Colorado’s doing ok with the distribution and Gov Polis is on YT every few days talking about the situation and improvements. We had a recent bump up in new cases but that went with an increase in testing. Hospital beds and deaths are declining. OT It’s a good state to live in. Ken Buck and Lauren Blowback are on the list for 2022. If you want to move here, we’ve got plenty of weed and sunshine, but bring your own water.
Joey Maloney
Got Pfizer #1 last Saturday evening, had a sore arm the next day, am booked for #2 on the 30th. I’m glad Netanyahu was willing to spend as much (of taxpayers’ money) as it took to assure enough vaccines for the entire* population, though that in no way makes up for him so badly fucking up everything up to this point so that we now have uncontrolled community spread AND the economy is trashed. But that’s life under autocracy.
*With the exception of Fuck Them Arabs, of course. The government takes zero responsibility for getting the vaccine to the West Bank and Gaza, and don’t get me started on how stupidly self-defeatingthat is, given that large numbers of West Bank residents cross the Green Line daily to work construction, agriculture, and other menial labor.
I’d like the Steve sticker, please and thank you.
eachother
Called to find out when a shot would be available. I was told February. Way to roll out. Warped to say the least.
ETA: second tier category.
WaterGirl
@sab: Exactly! First, because the vaccine is only 95% effective. Second, because how am i supposed to know that you have received both shots (still at 5% risk) or you’re an unmasked asshole and I should run for my life?
KenK
Mrs. KenK got her 1st shot on Saturday. I met qualifications (>65) and am now waiting for local pharmacies in WNY to get stocked. Could be a couple days, could be a couple months… Stay tuned.
For Mrs. KenK:
Kelly
@Mudbrush: Mrs Kelly and I are seriously considering adopting the Asian habit of masks for the cold and flu season. Lockdown out here on our dead end road where two rivers meet is the healthiest winter we’ve ever had.
mrmoshpotato
Not sorry.
Does Bob Marley get to administer the shot to any sheriffs?
cope
Late to my own idea I see.
Our governor is pandering to the olds (about 20% of Florida’s population) so we were both willing to be pandered too. We got Phizered last Saturday and will follow up on 1/30. It really did make us both feel hopeful for the future. As my wife is severely immune compromised, we have diligently locked ourselves in the house since early March and look forward to getting some sense of normalcy back. Glad to see so many others getting shot.
Edited to add: balloon with blue background, please.
WaterGirl
@mrmoshpotato: You will have to ask the deputy.
J R in WV
OK, Bob Marley, ask the Deputy… LOL hilarious.
One more reason to love Balloon Juice — LOL humor you can’t ever see coming!!
Ruckus
@The Moar You Know:
Some of the CA delay is how many there are of us and how many doses that were sent to CA. numbnuts shortchanged states that didn’t vote for him. He’s just trying to pay us back for him being such a douchebag.
Inspectrix
I got the Moderna shot #1 at work two weeks ago and had a sore arm. i am really proud of my team who are vaccinating 900 patients this week. It is so rewarding to be part of the vaccination effort. Steve sticker, please.
Sounds like you should be getting shot #2 any day now?
beckya57
I got my second shot this morning. Can I please have the kitty?
CaseyL
I didn’t want to say anything until I got the 2nd shot, but I have had my first.
And I’ll take that lovely Badger 1 Dose Done sticker, thank you :)
(And I’ll be back for Steve!)
Sandia Blanca
Here in Austin, Texas, the rollout has been bumpy for the general public. Friends who (tried to) sign up through the Austin Public Health system had many technical difficulties, although some have managed to get in and got their shots today. Word of mouth seems to be the most successful method for finding the vaccine.
For some reason dentists are not considered important enough to get in the high-priority groups, so my dentist today described how she managed to get her first dose at a grocery store pharmacy, but is having trouble scheduling the follow-up for the second dose.
Fortunately for me, I work for a large healthcare system, and after they had vaccinated all our front-line workers and clinical staff, they opened it up to the rest of us. As a result, I was able to get my first dose of the Moderna today. So far only slight stiffness of the arm, otherwise feeling fine.
WaterGirl
Congratulations to all who got the vaccine today!
The Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion
I got the Moderna yesterday. I’m a special education teacher in Southern Illinois, so I’m 1b. Sore as hell, but so far otherwise unscathed. Not sure how I get my sticker, though.
WaterGirl
@The Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion: Tell me which sticker you would like, and I will add it for you. In the meantime, have a balloon.
Sandia Blanca
@WaterGirl: Hi WG, could you please add the “balloon blue” to my post (#61)? Thank you very much.
Dusty Rose
Lurker here. My 86-year-old mother and I got the shot on Wednesday. I got one as her caregiver. I signed Mom up on our county’s reservation webpage and they called her to schedule the appointment. Her neighbor and his wife got theirs last week, and her friend and her husband are getting theirs today. Quite a few ladies in my quilt guild said during our monthly Zoom meeting that they either have had the shot or are scheduled for it. I’d like the Steve sticker, please.
This second Steve is for your mom. :-)
WaterGirl
@Sandia Blanca: done!
Pupjoint
I got shot the vaccine, did not get the lollipop.
#1 Moderna, yesterday, at a drive-in facility at NRG Stadium in Houston, administered by Memorial Hermann, a huge, local, non-profit health provider. Very well organized, at least 10 lanes. Next shot due on 2-11-21. I would like the green ballon, please.
Sandia Blanca
@WaterGirl: Thank you, friend!
grammypat
On Monday, Texas switched to a so-called “hub” system instead of trying (and failing) at the logistics for pharmacies, doctors’ offices, clinics, etc. They designated more than a dozen large-scale locations across the state for everyone in the 1a and 1b categories.
The hubs near San Antonio, Dallas, and Ft Worth had an assortment of registration/mailing list/appointment methods. They varied wildly in their levels of organization and competence. Most stated that I would hear back from them sometime in the next few weeks … maybe.
Undeterred, on Wednesday evening I tried the City of Austin’s vaccination portal. I’m neither a city nor county resident, but that was irrelevant. On the first attempt, I was able to register AND then make an appointment at a time of my choosing on Friday (all within less than 48hrs). Talk about efficient!
Nevertheless, during the drive to the hub location, I kept expecting to get a message telling me: “We’re sorry, but don’t come today because __________.” That didn’t happen, but I still expected some degree of chaos. What I found was anything but. They had a system and they executed it.
Although people were pouring in (all old farts, like me), the only snag was the time I needed to fill out the forms. There were as many workers (>100 Austin city, Fire, PD, and EMT) as vaccination seekers, and all were unfailingly polite and helpful.
I arrived 10 minutes early for a 4pm appointment … got Moderna’d … and was back in my car by 4:20. I’m seldom impressed by anything, but must admit that the entire experience has left me in awe. Hopefully, the federal supply issues are worked out by 2/12/21, the date that they scheduled my second dose.
Because of my dysfunctional immune system, I knew from the beginning of this pandemic that if I got the virus I would die. Being in fear for my life for the past year is NOT something that I want to repeat. This sense of relief is impossible to describe.
Watergirl – Fireworks seem appropriate. A green balloon is an acceptable substitute because St Patrick’s Day is gonna be lit. Please and thank you.
featheredsprite
Got a shot today – Moderna. Next one is due on Valentine’s Day but the Moderna folks have said that a 2 month space is still effective. (We may need the extra time to fix Trump’s fucking with us.)
Washington State seems to be doing okay.
chopper
got the first dose today. moderna. have to schedule the next one, and the website is a bit of a mess but i’m still halfway there.
planetjanet
I took my Mom to get her first vaccine today, the Moderna. She has had no side effects so far. The sense of relief I feel is indescribable. This is a deep red rural county and the virus is running rampant, and mask wearing is spotty. Glad that they are vaccinating at three times the rate of my county and have reached 6.5% of the population so far.
SkyBluePink
First moderna shot yesterday- well run county health department program. Little sore at the injection site. Appointment for 2nd dose set for mid February.
And a new competent and caring administration today!
All is Good!
(badger sticker please)
Dorothy A. Winsor
First Moderna shot this morning at a nearby hospital that had worked an arrangement with the managers of my over-55 condo building.
Most of the people in the line this morning were younger. I assume they were essential workers.
JAFD
Greetings from New Jersey, everyone !
Made appointment on Thursday, last week, online. Today – 1/21 at 10 AM – was first I could get.
Took bus downtown, walked to Essex County College. Big billboard outside gym entrance “Essex County Covid-19 Vaccination Site”. Got there about 9:25, about 10 people in line. Opened up at about 9:35. Got my shot at 9:40, out of there by 10. Moderna vaccine. Haven’t noticed any lasting effects, at half past noon – KOW
Have taken over ‘Physical Education Building’, gym hass 16 seperate curtained-off ‘booths’ for actually giving shots, about 125 chairs, six feet apart, for people to rest for 15 minutes afterward. So figure this facility can give 500-600 shots an hour. if they have the vaccine.
In ‘Dry January’ news, hasn’t been that cold here this month, but lack of humidity has gotten my knuckles painfully cracked. Hand lotion recommendations welcome.
Stay healthy, happy, and hydrated, everyone !
JCJ
I got my first shot on Dec 30 (a good way to end the year) and the second one yesterday – Inauguration Day!
My brother had already received his second shot on Jan 8. He is a medical oncologist with IU Health and also does palliative medicine. The health system where I am on staff did not get any supplies until the end of December, but even the University of Wisconsin Hospital system did not get their supply until after IU in Indiana. No idea why we cheeseheads had to wait a little longer. Definitely a little tired after each dose.
(two green balloons please!)
evodevo
Mr. Evodevo and I got the Moderna shot last Fri. – process was run by the local Health Dept. and they had it organized quite well, I thought. Only had a sore arm, and I have gotten that from tetanus shots in the past and a pneumonia shot several years ago. Next shot is due Feb.12 – friends have said THAT is the one that makes you feel ill, so we plan to chill out for the days after that. Can’t wait to feel somewhat safe again. Several family members and at least two coworkers have had the covid and/or had to quarantine, and we know one collateral family member who died. Mask wearing around here in redneck KY is WAY up compared to even 3 or 4 months ago. I think enough have experienced it that reality finally sank in for the MAGAts…
tybee
got the first pfizer shot today.
second on is scheduled for 3 weeks from today.
Uncle Omar
Steve please. Mrs Omar and I took the jab this AM. We arrived at 10:00 AM had the jab and were on our way home by 10:25, with pockets full of cookies and orange juice. Our part of Colorado seems to be in the vaccine backwater, so even though we’re 1b, it took until today to get jab #1. I’m waiting for the microchip to cut in so that the government can keep tabs on me, because I can’t do it all by myself.
the pollyanna from hell
I want my gondola in a blue, blue sky. Five mile walk in denver to federal and louisiana, ’cause I never boarded a bus for many moons, and arthritis makes biking more like fartlek; I have to get off and walk every few minutes. Moderna, next one in four weeks. I called my regular shot clinic ten or more days ago, mail-box was full, again, again, again. Left message, callback two days later, they sent me out to the boonies. No pain, and I might live. randy
Ben Cisco
I got shot 1 today.
I got the shot, beige background.
Janet Strange
Last Tuesday. Moderna, so I have to wait 4 weeks for the second one. Hopefully production will be noticeably ramped up by then.
Hildebrand
Both my wife and I received our first shots on Monday (Moderna). Second shots scheduled for February 22.
seefleur
Got the shot last Saturday – but only because a hefty number of EMS/First Responders opted out. I just cannot fathom what sort of thought processes are involved; but since my position as an administrative support/dispatcher for law enforcement gave me the opportunity to get the vaccine, I took advantage of it once I realized how many others were opting out. I really wanted to be able to get my spouse onto the list, but since it was limited to a very narrow category of EMS/First Responders that wasn’t going to happen.
I got the Moderna vaccine. The day I got it, I figured it was like a flu shot. The next 4 days after the dose, I felt like my arm had been hit by a baseball bat. Other than that, I was fine. I’m just glad that I opted to have it in my left arm since I’m right-handed. When I get my second shot, I plan on taking the next day or two off based on the reactions of at least a dozen people who have had the second dose.
Can’t wait to get the shingles vaccine after this… btw, you have to have at least 2 weeks between the shingles vaccine and the Covid-19 vaccine.
Good luck to everyone in dealing with this!
Rileys Enabler
I had shot 1 in late December and shot 2 last Wednesday. Both times had a mildly sore arm for a day and no other side effects. Feeling much relieved as my job requires me to be in and around 4 different hospital campuses daily (I work for a multi-hospital org). Two co-workers had noticeable fatigue and headaches after the second dose; this is not uncommon and generally gone in 24 hours. We all had the Pfizer.
The surprise is how many of my co-workers have declined the shots. I cannot get my brain around it. We work for a good sized teaching/research medical facility- our researchers contributed to many of the vaccine development efforts. I’m baffled and worried for them/their families.
My employer has been shifting this week from employee/frontline worker vaccines to the general public (stages 1 a and 1 b), so we will see how smoothly that goes. We are partnering with the county to increase the outreach and availability. Now we just need the deliveries to come when promised (this has not been the case, and caused us a few stops and starts).
But I have hope now. I’m ready to get this ramped up and into as many arms as we can.
TriassicSands
@Betty Cracker:
That’s good news. If ever a critter looked like a superspreader, it would be Badger.
I live about 65 miles from Seattle, but getting there is involved since I have to cross the Hood Canal bridge, which could be closed to traffic to let a ship/submarine pass. Then, I have to catch a ferry. A normal one hour appointment in Seattle takes about eight hours door-to-door. However, things are such a mess in the county in which I live, that I went ahead and signed up for the Moderna vaccine at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle — 1st shot on February 13.
Apparently, the need for vaccinations came as a complete surprise to the largest medical provider in the county — Olympic Medical Center — because they are doing nothing. I asked a nurse why and she said it is because they don’t have the space to observe patients for 15 minutes after they’re vaccinated. Hmm. I guess a year’s lead time wasn’t enough for them to make a plan. But when they talk about pharmacies giving the shots, it’s obvious that they have less space than OMC.
I had to go to Seattle to the UWMC on Wednesday for something else and their vaccine “clinic” is crammed into the main lobby in a surprisingly small space. OMC has a much larger space that could be used for a much smaller population. What they seem to lack is imagination.
While I was in the hospital I stopped and asked if there was any way I could get my first shot while I was there. Nope, appointment only and there weren’t any no shows or extra vaccine, which is good. I’ll go back in 16 days. Driving 130 miles, spending $20+ for the ferry, and six to eight hours for a definite appointment is, I think, preferable to dealing with the local situation.
smike
Yay me! My wife got her first shot on the afternoon of 1/22, but I was not contacted for mine (both of us a ‘certain age’). As we were sitting around later that evening, she got a call asking how soon we could get to the vaccination site, as they had some left over. About 15 minutes later I was there and in the process. We both received the Moderna vaccine.
Bodacious
Both the Mr and I got shot #1 on Saturday. It was a drive by….. we were driving by Forks WA and saw the EMT vehicle pointing the way. We pulled in……….told them we were on our way to the beach, didn’t live here, and weren’t both the correct age. They said, ‘vaccine will go to waste’~ the locals that want it/got it ~ they didn’t want it to go to waste. I asked if all the teachers had gotten it. They said any teacher that wanted it, got it. I teared up. Moderna. Sore arm.
A Steve for each of you!
FredW
I got my first Moderna shot on Monday at Dodger Stadium. No, I didn’t see any celebrities :)
I have to say I was impressed with the organization. We went about 2:30pm and their really wasn’t much of a wait, just a lot of driving thru a maze that must have included every orange cone in LA County!
They were letting about 10 cars into the “zone” for each lane (I could see at least 6 other lanes in our section and there were 4 sections total.) A person came thru checking us in (scan the barcode on our confirmation), then the vaccinators came by and gave us the shot. Finally, somebody came by to check that we were OK. One car in our group must not have been as they were directed to pull over to the side and them we drove out. Never left the car (how LA is that :) ) I read in the paper that they were doing 7000 shots a day and I bet they can do a lot more once they ramp up.
Obviously, this setup requires a car but there are other mass vaccination sites that are more transit friendly. After I get my second shot I will see if any carless neighbors need an appointment and will drive them if they want.
As for side effects — a bit of nausea the first night and tired the next two days. No soreness in the arm — unless you punched me there — then I would be a quivering mass of blubber. I bumped into a door with the bad arm once, now I am more careful :)
Mary G
Housemate and I have been checking the Othena app used by Orange County constantly and been told we are in the waiting room and will get appointments when shots are received in order of priority on the list that Gavin Newsom completely changed at the drop of a hat. Monday we both hit the jackpot and got scheduled together for 3:45 pm at the Disneyland parking lot superstore. It was perfect because I had an IV in Irvine all morning and she took the day off.
We got there, many traffic cones and signs told us where to turn in and go to the guard booths. There we had to show proof of appointment. No one without an appointment could come in. It was fairly well organized, with a large number of very nice people trying to herd the cats. We got to go into the handicapped section, which was marked off for cars allowed only in every other space. Then began the march of the tents.
Tent #1 was a check-in where it was verified that we had appointments and qualified, Housemate had brought pay stubs from her one job as a caregiver through an agency and letters from her other clients or their families attesting she had been caring for them forever. I just had to show my driver’s license proving I was 65. We were put into a special line for wheelchair users.
Second tent did it all over again, unclear why, or else I forgot what they wanted. We did show papers and license all over again. My license is expired, so I had brought my passport, but it was rejected every time.
Third tent quizzed us on a list of questions like “have you had Covid?, have you had this vaccine before somewhere else, on and on. I said yes to one, that I was on immune suppressants, so I had to detour to a fourth tent to see a nurse to be questioned.
I told her my pills and that I had a couple of Rituxin IVs a year. She didn’t ask when, so I didn’t tell. I was getting the damn shot come hell or high water. My immune system is used to being confused and fighting everything it finds. She did tell me that these meds make the vaccine less effective and I would need to keep being very careful with masks, social distancing, and staying away from crowds indoors or out, as I can’t count on full protection. I was given a specially “medically cleared” sticker to wear and sent along.
Fifth tent – yet another “prove you have an appointment and that you qualify, and are not allergic to this list of things.” Housemate’s batch of papers getting scruffy by now. Had thrown license into purse instead of getting wallet out again, so had to search for it an embarrassing length of time. I use a small purse with hardly anything in it, but still can’t find anything. Finally at the same table, nurse gave us the Moderna shot: quick and easy. Whoo Hoo!
Sixth tent – honor system, sit here for 15 minutes, then go home. Water and Gatorade available.
They did announce in our last tent that they had a few extra doses from no-shows, so they would take names and give them out based on how far up the list of priorities you ranked. Housemate called one of her client’s daughters who lives with mother {multiple personalities and morbidities,} who lives close by, and she jumped in her car, but before she got there they announced there hadn’t been as many extras as they thought and all were already assigned to caregivers, friends, husbands, wives, children who had accompanied their loved one.
Then poor housemate had to push me a good quarter of a mile back across the vast parking lot to the car, past a huge row of completely empty handicapped spots closer to the tents (ours was farthest away). They had portapotties available for ableds and regular handicapped Disney bathrooms for me, but I had made sure not to need it. They also had at least 40 extra wheelchairs and people to push them if needed, and many wanted to help push me, but housemate would never allow it.
There was a whole extra line of tents that went unused; one of the workers told us that if they could get more volunteers they could open them, but needed all these people, many of whom were standing around waiting for something to do, for the tents they had open. Every single volunteer manning social distancing in lines, checking papers, handing out drinks, etc., was White and mostly middle aged or older. I did not overhear a single word spoken in any language but English, which is ludicrous in fucking Anaheim.
So pros – very nice, helpful people and lots of them. Maybe too many. Thrilled to see extra wheelchairs and useable handicapped bathrooms.
Cons- for Dog’s sake, when the earliest appointments pull out of the parking closest to the tents, reopen it, especially the handicapped section, for the later arrivals. We parked almost as far away from the tents that we could’ve and it was really insulting to have to walk/be pushed past all those empty spots. Don’t ask for the same thing more than twice. And LA County has drive-through shots where you don’t even get out and walk anywhere, why don’t we? Where are all the diverse people? Unable to sit and refresh an app a hundred times a day? Not served by the website? Not asked to be volunteers? Housemate was very upset by that – her friends and family are dying more and more and she is sure that lots of people she knows, who are laid off and collecting unemployment, would be eager to help.
One for each of you, you can fight over who gets which sticker. :-)
snarlymon
I got an email from Kaiser late on the 19th that I was eligible for the Fauci ouchi and immediately signed up for a morning appt. on the 21st. I arrived early on Thursday to a clinic that was already bustling. the sign in was quick and the line to the vaccination stations moved briskly. After getting the jab they put you in a line to sign up for your second shot, which will be on Feb 18. All in all it seemed very organized.
My arm was sore for a couple days but had little other effects. I heard that this one vaccination station in the Kaiser network did over 300 shots the day before so I think things are ramping up.
AnnaN
Hello! I am late to the party, but I received my first shot on January 5th. I work as a contracting officer for the Dept of Veterans Affairs and received it through work. My specific site got the Moderna vaccine. The VA started ignoring the administration last February and instituted WHO guidelines for addressing the pandemic.
The VA had money allocated for this vaccine effort from the very beginning and contracting started to work immediately with the pharma companies while the vaccines were in testing phase to set up the logistics of acquiring, storing, and distribution. I was in the third wave of employees to get the vaccine after the health care workers and Veterans.
Walked in with my paperwork, answered a couple of questions, was given the shot by an RN and sent to a room with a paramedic to sit for 15 minutes to see if an adverse (anaphylactic) reaction would occur. I was given the card and a date for my second shot which is this coming Tuesday. On my way out of the hospital I walked by a resupply team running vaccines up to the Shot Room. Two RNs and two armed police escorting. Quite the sight considering the hospital is a secure site on almost complete lockdown with only one entrance open and better security than TSA.
I got almost all the side effects – headaches, cough, running sinuses, and aches. No chills or fever. And each SE was mild and lasted for about 4 – 6 hours. The fatigue though was something else. Kicked in the day after the shot but I like naps so all was good. Oh, and the soreness in my arm. Not bad the first day, by the second day it felt as if I had been stabbed there and took three days to go away.
Central Planning
My wife got her shot two nights ago and I got mine last night. We both got the Moderna vaccine.
We went to the newly setup vaccination site at the convention center in Rochester, NY. There was this Hunger Games-like registration process to get on the list… The head of the school got the link at 4pm and we had to rush to register ourselves for appointments the next day. Since I’m the faster typer, I did my wife’s and mine. I noticed that there was a ton of optional info in the form. Emergency contact info, personal physician contact info, race/nationality info, etc. If you’re doing it this way, SKIP ANYTHING THAT IS OPTIONAL. You can fill in the rest at the vaccine site once you get your appointment.
The whole process was very well-run. A consistent movement of people, but it wasn’t packed and everyone was social distancing with plenty of space. Including the mandatory 15 minute wait time, the entire process took maybe 35-40 minutes from walking in the door, registration, verification, forms, questioning, shot, recovery, and scheduling next appointment to walking out.
Good luck everyone!
WaterGirl
Congratulations everyone!
I think I’ve got everybody sticker, but if I missed you somehow, or gave you a different sticker than you requested, or if there were two of you and I only gave you one sticker, post a comment here and I will remedy that.
Ken T.
I got my 1st shot on January 5th; second dose scheduled for February 5th. I work at a university medical clinic and the entire staff got our shots all in one hour. Folks were cheering! After the requisite observation time, we all left. Sore arms were the main side-effect, but a couple of us got a rash. Some Claritin cleared that right up. We have staggered the second vaccination due to not wanting staff to miss a day, and therefore, miss treating patients, so the 4th and 5th are the dates for that. Here in Montana, we only have 1.1 million, and we are hoping the state can get totally vaccinated by the end of April. Oh, we have all gotten Moderna so far!
Jenny Howard
Here in Kansas the rollout is slow but not crazy. My son works at a facility for the developmentally disabled and got his second shot a few days ago. Sore arm from the first one, same with second and then the day after the second the fatigue hit him hard. He almost slept through the next twelve hours and that’s saying something when you have five-week-old twins. Dil in school facility so will be getting hers soon, I hope, but she’s not been scheduled yet. The district is collaborating with a local pizza joint: if at least 85% of the staff get vaccinated, they each get vouchers for a free large pizza. As of yesterday they were at 80%. Yay local business, plus public health for the win!
I am in phase four so who knows when I’ll get mine.
Steve agrees that the pizza idea is great, so this sticker is for your son. Peer pressure for the win!
CaseyL
Just home now from getting my second shot. In 3-ish weeks, I will be invincible! (But still taking all the precautions, just in case.)
Two interesting points:
The line was a LOT longer this time, because UW Medicine has raised its daily quota of shots-per-site considerably. The goal is 600/day at the site I went to.
I barely felt the first shot, but this one hurt about as much as a flu shot. Reason: The needle was a lot bigger. Not the syringe, the actual pokey part. The nurse says they ran out of the smaller needles and haven’t been able to get any more. Supply chain issues are a thing even here in the PNW.
No, wait: three points, and I’ll mention this in one of the active threads: UW Medicine does NOT recommend getting more vaccines as they roll out, even in view of the mutations. Barring further data, they believe whatever vaccine you get will provide enough protection against the variants – if not absolute protection, then enough to keep an infection mild.
Lymie
Here in New Hampshire, David and I got our vaccinations this afternoon. Good news!
The earliest date for the second shot is April 3. Bad news!
It was the Pfizer vaccine. Done in our car at the National Guard armory, guards and the local fire department running the show.
Green balloons, please.
Ruckus
First dose. Done.
Easy peasy, so far not a big deal as far as symptoms, which is that if I think about it my arm is very slightly sore after 2 hrs. The drive, in driving rain a good part of the 43 miles each way was worse. The VA was first rate on the delivery process.
Ruckus
@CaseyL:
The VA had the same comment about taking other vaccines, which makes sense considering how the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines work and they both are very close in effectiveness.
S. Cerevisiae
I was able to get the first Moderna shot on Wednesday and have an appointment 2/24 for the second, arm was sore like a bruise for a couple days but now any pain is pretty much gone .
My county is doing well with vaccinations so far about double the state rate which bodes well for summer tourist season, in another month I will feel much better going out walking my GSD Bella downtown and stopping for a burger and a pint (still masked of course!)
cope
So my wife and I each got our second Phizer shot earlier today. The county has moved the process into the sad, deserted interior of a Sears anchor store in a mall. Things moved much quicker and more smoothly for all concerned. My wife, the caring nurturer that she is, gave out several boxes of Kind breakfast bars to different groups of people working in there (greeters, clerks, injectors, cop security folks) and that was well received. We might have arisen and left the 10 minute waiting area a bit earlier than we were supposed to but all is well with us even 3 plus hours later.
Two “Got The Shots” posters would be an accurate graphic representation of our status now, thank you.
Roger Moore
I just got back from getting my second dose. My arm got sore immediately, but I don’t seem to have experienced any other negative side effects yet.
I wasn’t sure whether you would want Steve or the balloons, so you got both!
TJC
My 80 year old dad got his first dose a week ago. The VA actually called him to set up the appointment and it sounded like they had everything organized and running smoothly. My mom gets her first dose on Friday from a hospital.
We are in Cincinnati.
Here’s a balloon for your dad. It’s great that they are both getting the first dose. No sticker for you mom until she gets her shot. :-)
Poptartacus
Scored a miracle shot. Got a call from a friend that a site had expiring extra doses left over. Only 5 left. Me and hubby scored the the last two.
Congratulations on the good luck! I’m so glad there were two left, that would have been an awful decision to make, who got it, who didn’t.
cope
@Poptartacus: What a great stroke of luck for you both, congratulations.
japa21
Mrs Japa and I got our first Moderna doses today, administered by National Guard medics. Already scheduled for 3/1 for the second dose.
One sticker for each of you.
Kelly
My 84 year old mother got her second Pfizer shot at the Oregon State Fairgrounds Vaccination Clinic in Salem today. Very smooth process today about an hour compared to 3 hours for the first jab. Big relief!
I’ll say! For that she gets Steve! Congratulations.
Regine Touchon
My hubby got his first shot today in Auburn AL and I’m getting one on Monday. Our local hospital EAMC has coopted an big empty storefront to accommodate more people. The state has opened up vaccinations for 65 and older. I don’t turn 65 till April, but got my appointment anyway.
Balloons!
WaterGirl
@Regine Touchon: Come back when you get yours. :-)
Starboard Tack
2nd Pfizer today. Still going to wear a mask until summer. Maybe even then.
PST
I got the first Pfizer today. No side effects so far. Two of my fellow geezers got theirs today as well, and my wife had hers last week. Next week we’re taking my 96-year-old free-range mother-in-law for her second shot. So my little circle is beginning to develop some immunity. I hope in three weeks I can get a sticker that says dos doses.
okay, you get one woof for your first shot. ~WG
Madeleine
My husband and I just got home after getting the Pfizer vaccine. It was fast and easy! Yay!
one for each of you! ~WG
Anotherlurker
I got my first shot today. Moderna. Next jab on 03/03/2021 !! Woo hooo!
You get one Kamala, but you can trade up to a pet if you like. ~WG
Anotherlurker
@Anotherlurker: Kamala is perfect! Thanks!
LuciaMia
Yay! CVS is coming Saturday to give our whole senior building (or those who sign up.) their first jab.
WaterGirl
@LuciaMia: Wow, they are coming to you! What state are you in?
munira
Got the first one yesterday – Moderna – I’m in Bellingham, WA. Easy. Sore arm of course but nothing else. Second one was scheduled automatically for four weeks from now. Hurray. I don’t have to go into the vaccine website again. Getting the first appointment was kind of like surviving the hunger games.
WaterGirl
New sticker available:
LuciaMia
@WaterGirl: Maryland. I think the buildings management arranged it.
VeniceRiley
2nd dose yesterday. Fatigue lasting a little longer. Can still work, but could not shake it off with the morning coffee like dose #1. other than that, sore arm. Dose dos, amigos!
Emma from FL
Got my first Fauci Ouchie this afternoon. Moderna. Second already scheduled for March 5th. I have a little soreness and swelling but nothing unbearable.
KenK
@KenK: Mrs. KenK got her 2nd shot this morning!! ♥
I’m scheduled for March 21st for my 1st shot…
Cowgirl in the Sandi
I got my first shot yesterday – Moderna. Some tenderness today, but nothing bad. Second shot is scheduled in early March. I think the logjam is breaking up in California – at least around the Bay area. About 10 days ago, no one I talked to had gotten a shot and people were frantic trying to find appointments. Now, everyone I talk to has either gotten the shot or is scheduled to get it soon
PS I want the Kamala sticker!
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
Got my 1st shot today(Pfizer), and scheduled 2nd dose for 27 February. I work in a laboratory and I will be back from my temporary medical leave about 4 days after the second shot. I will be happy when we can get my husband the vaccine too, but mine was arranged by my employer and was for employees only, no exceptions.
So far just a moderate headache and sore arm.
grandmaBear
Got my first Moderna shot today in SW Ohio! Registering was fraught, but actual shot process went smoothly & efficiently. Actually more focused on the knee I wrenched last week. I didn’t want to take any pain meds because of possible effects on the vaccine, so a painful day today.
WaterGirl
@grandmaBear: I’m sorry about your knee, but so happy that you got the shot. Maybe Henry can make it better?
Karen H
The Mister and I got our first Moderna shots on Saturday morning. Neither of us has had any side effects other than a sore arm.
The registration process in San Antonio has been a nightmare. There are four mega centers and when one of them is getting a shipment of vaccine, they announce when they will begin taking appointments. The two larger sites take applications online and for the other two it’s by phone. We tried online and never got through before all appointments were filled. Once that was 9000 appointments filled in six minutes. There was another release on Saturday, January 30 and both of us started calling at 8am, getting a busy signal and redialing until I finally got an answer about 5:45, was on hold for 25 minutes and managed to get our two appointments for the following Saturday. We made well over 1000 calls that day.
From that point on, the process was smooth and efficient. We got a reminder call the day before and were told that when we arrived, we were to stay in the car until 5 minutes before our appointment. We got in line at that time and walked in the door at exactly our scheduled time. The usual temperature check and COVID questions, and were given a consent form which stated by continuing the process, we agreed. No turning in paperwork. We then went to a station where they looked up our information (that we had given them on the phone) and gave us our cards with our next appointment time. At the next stop, they directed us to the next open injection station. After our shots, we went to the waiting area, where they had physicians walking around observing and answering questions. When we got our shots they wrote down what time we could leave and that was checked as we walked out. Total of 25 minutes from when we entered the building.
We didn’t have to show any ID, there was no paperwork to fill out and there were no bottlenecks or waiting once we got in. Huge number of volunteers, all friendly and helpful. We did have to state our race and ethnicity, but nothing about immigration status.
I would love a Champ sticker and Badger for the Mister.
Annie
I got the shot today — Pfizer #1. Second shot is scheduled for March 1. I qualified because I’m over 65.
in San Francisco it’s like a logjam has broken. All of a sudden, last night, there are more locations to get vaccinated and more of these have appointments available. The Moscone Center convention hall has been set up for large scale vaccinations and that’s where I went today. It’s very efficient—registration and a health questionnaire are done online when you book your appointment.
the center itself has 48 cubicles for getting the shot. The nurse checks your registration, you get The Shot, and they have an area with chairs where you wait 15 minutes to be sure you won’t have anaphylactic shock. There are RNs strolling around here so if you do feel ill someone is right there.
the whole thing, from getting in line outside Moscone Center to walking out afterwards, took half an hour. And I am very relieved. I know we aren’t out of the hole yet but this makes me feel as if we’ve stopped digging deeper.
way2blue
I got my first Moderna dose on Saturday. My husband got his first dose on Wednesday. My son got his second dose on Thursday. Whew. Sore arm for a couple days. My son’s second dose left him fatigued for a couple days. Our friends (in Oregon & Idaho) said the second dose left them tired & chilled. So we have that to look forward to—a reminder that our immune system is taking notice. [BTW, I’m clueless on how to add a sticker… ]
Argiope
Medical Reserve Corps volunteer vaccinator here–today my team gave 817 shots (Pfizer) in 6 hours—and I got my first one, a leftover since I’m not chronologically gifted. 817 down, about 370 million? to go. I’m not proud… or tired….
Highlights of the day: giving a jab to a 96- year-old vet. And having a very funny 80-something ask if we were doing shots in the butt, and suggesting I imagine what that gym full of people would be like if we had to use that site. I hope she’s at my station for her second shot–she was fun!
edit: Here’s Samwise until you tell me which other sticker you would prefer.
WaterGirl
@way2blue: You can’t add your own, but if you tell me which one you want, I will add it for you!
WaterGirl
@Argiope: Oh my gosh, that’s amazing! All those shots, go you.
Argiope
@Argiope:
Samwise in a bowtie is a dream come true. Thanks for that!
FelonyGovt
I got Dose 1 of Moderna today. I feel perfectly fine and scheduled my appointment for the second shot on March 9. The facility I went to (part of UCLA Health) vaccinated 419 (!) people yesterday and expected a similar number today.
Can I have a cat sticker, please and thank you?
edit: i wasn’t sure which cat you wanted! WG
JanieM
@Argiope:
Ah, the memories…..Great job, giving all those shots!
Argiope
@JanieM: Thanks! We’ll just wait for the next shot clinic to come around on the guitar, and jab folks when it does….
sab
Got my shot today, next one scheduled for Mar 10 same time same place. Moderna.
trollhattan
Pfirst Pfizer
Pfeel pfine
Pfriendly pfolks
Pfitting pfacility
?
Feeling the stress of the last twelve months begin to drain away. My process: appointment acquired through county health for a site on a university campus. Ample parking adjacent to the building they’re using, queue with a dozen or so folks waiting outside. Was ushered inside five minutes after my appointment time. Monsters! I.D., temp taken, screening questions, then wait for a station to open–there are six. Once a station opened, more detailed medical questions, choice of left/right, shot given (well, in my case) then sent off for 15/30 minutes of observation for reactions. Done and dusted.
Two items:
*There is a vaccine I.D. card presented, with type, date(s) and other. Target for second Pfizer is 21 days and I’m told there will be an email prompt to set an appointment
*V-Safe is a CDC site for folks to register once they’ve received their jab. The wish to collect information on reactions, etc. QC code signage makes registration on site easy.
Have hope, they’re beginning to roll on getting folks vaccinated. Today’s crowd was a pretty broad mix of folks, although I didn’t see anybody younger than perhaps 35. About half of the folks there were getting their second jab (they go through the line faster than first-timers).
WaterGirl
@sab:
yay! i saw yesterday that you had finally found a source. we can trade out Kamala for whoever you want. I can’t remember if you are a dog or a cat person. ~WG
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: Congratulations!
Shakti
I can’t follow directions so:
VACCINATED:
1.My dad received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on the 27th of January. He is over 70 and has pretty severe preexisting conditions and works in a hospital.
SCHEDULED:
2. My mother is scheduled for her first shot on Monday, and the next one on March 8th. She’s over 65 and has less severe preexisting conditions. (This county has SUCKED.)
STILL NEED:
3. I need it because I have hypertension and I’m in contact with my parents. I get their meds and groceries.
4. My brother needs it because he visits my parents, and his job has lots of people contact and he’s not taking any precautions other than single cloth masking. He’s been going to the gym and games and eating in restaurants as soon as the county opened it all up months ago.
WaterGirl
@Shakti: Yay for your dad!
I presume that if your brother could be talked into either being more careful or staying away from your parents, he would be doing one of those things.
So frustrating. Vaccinations will speed up soon, I think. I hope!
Shakti
@WaterGirl: My brother doesn’t comprehend “this virus is bad, it eats people, therefore don’t do a whole bunch of fun shit you are used to doing.”
On top of that, he is sports obsessed and selfish as fuck. He would’ve gone to the Super Bowl if he had been able to get tickets, and he went to the NFL experience outside of the stadium. I am the one who is in charge of picking up my parents medications and groceries and if it comes to it, I’m the medical proxy.
It’s great that the vaccines are here; they just need to be in people’s arms yesterday. My dad has already joined a gym and wants to go on a golf trip in two months. I can’t feel like I’m saving anyone’s life if people are like “fuck it, I’m going to do what I want.” I’ve already lost a couple of friends because I didn’t want to hang out and breath on everyone in an enclosed place.