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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / I Just Got My Vaccination

I Just Got My Vaccination

by John Cole|  February 19, 20211:32 pm| 135 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus

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I Just Got My Vaccination

Received the first dose today- Moderna. I go back for my second on 18 March. The operation was very efficient. They were administering them at the local mall in an abandoned Michael’s. I was in and out in 25 minutes, and 15 of that was me waiting for 15 minutes after receiving the shot, as they require everyone.

I’m not all the way there yet, but I feel like I am very close to an in-game achievement for slaying the final boss. It’s been 14 months of doing what I am supposed to, making sure the parents were on lockdown, and just doing what I was told by the people who know shit. Surprising how difficult that is for some people.

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Reader Interactions

135Comments

  1. 1.

    guachi

    February 19, 2021 at 1:36 pm

    Second vaccine (Moderna) for me on Wednesday. Waited three hours in line. Fine in the afternoon. Fine enough to do a really hard bike ride. Slightly fatigued by evening. Major muscle spasms by midnight. Major fatigue and aches yesterday. Fine by today.

    I hope you don’t have side effects, but don’t plan anything for the 19th

    I think 2020 officially ends whenever you get that second shot.

  2. 2.

    Old School

    February 19, 2021 at 1:39 pm

    So was it in your arm?

  3. 3.

    J R in WV

    February 19, 2021 at 1:40 pm

    We’re in the parking lot outside the vaccination clinic, with 1:50 appointments…

    Going in now!

  4. 4.

    Major Major Major Major

    February 19, 2021 at 1:43 pm

    Congrats!

    I get my first shot on March 9th, very excited. Dunno which version of the vaccine yet…

  5. 5.

    dlw32

    February 19, 2021 at 1:43 pm

    I got mine last Saturday… Pfizer, going back Mar 6th for round two. I had some odd body aches but nothing that was even up to “annoying” level. My blood-glucose was 20-30 points higher than it should have been for two days, but is back to normal.

    I also feel a weight lifting…

  6. 6.

    pat

    February 19, 2021 at 1:44 pm

    Just got home from our second Pfizer shots. Talked to someone whose husband felt tired and a bit chilled for a couple of days. We’ll see.
    The clinic was very efficient. We were told not to appear more than 5 minutes before our appointment.

  7. 7.

    Roger Moore

    February 19, 2021 at 1:44 pm

    Introversion proved its value as a survival trait over the past year.

  8. 8.

    Ken

    February 19, 2021 at 1:45 pm

    They were administering them at the local mall in an abandoned Michael’s.

    Thank God for the utter collapse of the brick-and-mortar retail business sector

    (Posted in sarcasm, but now I wonder, where would West-by-God-Virginia counties set up vaccination clinics if these weren’t available?)

  9. 9.

    West of the Cascades

    February 19, 2021 at 1:46 pm

    @Ken:  A pity it wasn’t an abandoned Hobby Lobby.

  10. 10.

    Cheryl Rofer

    February 19, 2021 at 1:47 pm

    Congrats, Cole!

  11. 11.

    Mart

    February 19, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    Happy for you but… Moderna is 10% effective on the S A strain. Expect more shots for you.

  12. 12.

    Ten Bears

    February 19, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    Surprising how easy it’s been, fourteen almost fifteen months of lockdown.

    Inconvenient, but not necessarily an inconvenience.

  13. 13.

    Ole Phat Stu

    February 19, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    Congratulations. I am envious (and 76), but our German government has screwed thing up, too little oredered too late. Summary of the situation here :_

    http://www.savory.de/blog_feb_21.htm#20210217

  14. 14.

    scav

    February 19, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    We all need more holes in our skin — not in our heads. Progress!

  15. 15.

    JeanneT

    February 19, 2021 at 1:54 pm

    I just scheduled my first shot for Monday morning.  I’ve never looked forward to getting a vaccine before….

  16. 16.

    Ken

    February 19, 2021 at 1:55 pm

    @Ten Bears: Almost makes Mars colonization look possible.  As I understand it, living there is a challenge, but getting there is an obstacle.

  17. 17.

    The Moar You Know

    February 19, 2021 at 1:55 pm

    sitting in my office with one other guy who will not keep his fucking mask on no matter how many times he’s been told.  Glad he’s on the other side of the suite five open rooms away and not on my AC system, but still.  Glad I’m in here only once a week.  Glad I’ve got an N95 on.  Wish people would quit opening my door and leaving it open when I’m not here.  REALLY want my damn shot

    Glad you got yours, Cole.

  18. 18.

    Meyerman

    February 19, 2021 at 1:56 pm

    Glad to hear it! And thanks for the quick peek into the JC/mom relationship. :) The second dose of the Moderna vaccine is advertised as more taxing. I had a day of headaches and fatigue, but was good by V-Day +2. Still praying that friends and family make it to their V-Day unscathed.

  19. 19.

    DanielsBob

    February 19, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    Welcome to the club Cole. Got my first dose (Pfizer) Saturday afternoon at the closest CVS. Spent about 15 minutes waiting in line, 15 to answer questions and check my temp, and 15 after the shot. Everyone in line was around my age (68) or older. No front line workers. More stiffness than pain all day Sunday. Normal by Monday, so back to shoveling snow.

  20. 20.

    TaMara (HFG)

    February 19, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    Have your parents gotten theirs?

    Mine get their second dose first week of March.

    I’m sure I won’t be eligible until almost summer unless we get a lot more doses available.

  21. 21.

    Wag

    February 19, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    Excellent news!  Congratulations!   Stay safe and stay healthy.

  22. 22.

    Major Major Major Major

    February 19, 2021 at 2:00 pm

    @Mart:

    Happy for you but… Moderna is 10% effective on the S A strain.

    Gonna need a source on that.

  23. 23.

    eclare

    February 19, 2021 at 2:01 pm

    Congratulations! I’m hoping for April, health dept here in Memphis has been pathetic. The state health dept is in charge for cities that don’t have their own and, amazingly, has been much more proactive and efficient

  24. 24.

    oldster

    February 19, 2021 at 2:03 pm

    I’m about ten days past my second shot of Pfizer. Another five days and I may go out in public again, except oops I forgot, there are people out there, never mind.

    No reaction for me with either shot, aside from a slight bit of soreness at injection site, just enough to reassure me that I got a shot.

    Glad you got it, Cole, and hope you get your next one on schedule.

  25. 25.

    tom

    February 19, 2021 at 2:04 pm

    I was scheduled for my first shot at a Rite-Aid near me, but they texted me today to say that due to vaccine delivery problems caused by the severe winter weather in much of the country, they rescheduled me for March 13.

  26. 26.

    scav

    February 19, 2021 at 2:04 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: I’d also like the evidence that the other vaccines are guaranteed against all future variants, such that no further shots will be required.

  27. 27.

    brendancalling

    February 19, 2021 at 2:05 pm

    It’s so good to see West Virginians getting their shots, and doing people of all ages.

    Here in Vermont, only people 70+ get vaccinated. No priority for teachers, essential workers, or anyone else who has to, you know, risk out lives working with the public.

    It really makes me feel valued, and glad that I moved here. I could have stayed in Tennessee, probably continued playing music, and I would have been vaccinated by now.

  28. 28.

    Middlelee

    February 19, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    Woo hoo!  Hurray!  Yay!

    And thank your mother for me for the first laugh of my day.

    I get my second, in my arm, March 5 and I get a haircut tomorrow.  I’m considering a buzzcut.  Jesus who remembered what a pain in the ass long hair is.

  29. 29.

    Erin

    February 19, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    Moderna vaccine vs. South African variant”A six-fold reduction in neutralizing titers was observed with the B.1.351 variant relative to prior variants. Despite this reduction, neutralizing titer levels with B.1.351 remain above levels that are expected to be protective. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The manuscript has been submitted as a preprint to bioRxiv and will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication.”

    It’s less effective, in terms of producing antibodies. But it’s still, so far, 100% effective against hospitalization and death, even if it is more likely to cause a mild to moderate illness. So no reason to be all that concerned.

  30. 30.

    DanielsBob

    February 19, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    @scav: ​
     Pfizer has already announced that a third dose may be necessary.

  31. 31.

    FlyingToaster

    February 19, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    @Mart:

    • Need a link to a reliable source before I believe that; most of the epidemiologists I see on Twitter have the mRNA vaccines at ~67% effective for SA and ~75% effective for the British variant (less than the 90+% for the original strain).  Better than the adenovirus-based vaccines, by a lot.
    • So far we’re seeing a LOT of the British variant in the northeast US, probably because of trade with the UK and EU.  Far less trade with South Africa, means less opportunity for the strain to get here in quantity, let alone take hold.
    • Both predominant variant strains are more transmissible.  So keep your effing mask on in public, even if you’ve been vaccinated.
  32. 32.

    grelican

    February 19, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    I know WVA’s been kicking ass in their vaccine numbers, but am surprised you’d qualify from the (very) little I know of you from my perch as a long-time lurker.

    I’m youngish and pretty healthy, so I figure I’m on my own until May at the earliest, while my wife got hers as a caregiver for her granny in assisted living. Vaccine envy’s a real thing.

    Just curious– what got you on the list? Totally understand if you don’t want to share. 

  33. 33.

    guachi

    February 19, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    @Mart: Reuters article from the 18th says Moderna published information Wednesday of a sixfold drop in antibodies but its effect on actual protection is unknown at this time.

  34. 34.

    Roger Moore

    February 19, 2021 at 2:13 pm

    @Ten Bears: 

    Surprising how easy it’s been, fourteen almost fifteen months of lockdown.

    It hasn’t been that long. The first publicly known cases in China were about 14 months ago, and most of the US didn’t go into lockdown until about 11 months ago.

  35. 35.

    Ken

    February 19, 2021 at 2:15 pm

    @Meyerman: And thanks for the quick peek into the JC/mom relationship.

    I suspect it’s like the Ogg family in Pratchett’s Discworld novels. The description was something like: They squabbled continuously among themselves, but let an outsider say one bad thing about any one of them and the whole family closed ranks instantly to destroy the intruder.

  36. 36.

    glc

    February 19, 2021 at 2:15 pm

    Trying to get it in NJ, no luck so far. Age 72.

    Anyway I worked out on Groundhog day that there would be 6 more months of lockdown. But not of winter, presumably.

    Light snow at the moment, and no power failures, a point worth mentioning.

  37. 37.

    evap

    February 19, 2021 at 2:19 pm

    Congrats, John! I really want my shots, but Georgia is still on category 1A, which I miss by 3 years. It’s not clear if university teachers will be allowed in under 1B, but if so it should only be a month or so.

    Meanwhile, I’ve been volunteering at the vaccination clinic my university runs and they’ve been giving any leftovers at the end of the day to volunteers. Alas, they are so efficient that there is generally only a few leftovers and they are given out by how long you’ve been volunteering, so I have not even come close to getting one yet. But I’ve found that I actually enjoy working at the clinic a couple of times a week, so I will continue doing that as work allows and maybe get a shot early this way. The work is boring, but I love chatting with the people in line, who are mostly elderly; they are very happy to be getting a vaccine. Plus I get a warm glow knowing I am doing my little bit to help.

  38. 38.

    West of the Rockies

    February 19, 2021 at 2:21 pm

    I’ve heard that if a person has had C19, the first Moderna shot is the tough one and the second one not a big deal (in terms of later feeling poorly).  Anyone else heard this?

  39. 39.

    Ken

    February 19, 2021 at 2:22 pm

    @evap: Kudos for volunteering like that. One of the reasons I’m looking forward to vaccination is that I’ll again feel able to take up volunteer work.

  40. 40.

    LuciaMia

    February 19, 2021 at 2:22 pm

    Almost got my first Pfizer shot early Feb. but they came early and ran out before most of us got there. Theyre returning Feb. 27 so hoping to get it then.

    *******************

    This just in. Don Jr. apparently believes Gov. Abbott of Texas is a Democrat.

  41. 41.

    oldster

    February 19, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    By the way, anyone else read the title of this post and hear the Temptations singing “Just my ‘magination”?

    “I just got my vaccination,

    (once again)

    Running away with me!

    I just got my vaccinay-hey- tion,

    running away with me.”

    Yeah. Probably not.

  42. 42.

    CaseyL

    February 19, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    I’ve had both shots, but other than feeling reasonably confident of not coming down with a severe case if I catch Covid at all – which is great, don’t get me wrong! – so far nothing has really changed in daily life: still mask up, still socially distance, still don’t go to restaurants or group activities.

  43. 43.

    Catherine D.

    February 19, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    @West of the Cascades: Hobby Lobby was dumb enough to open a store in Ithaca NY. The building reopened today as a Trader Joe’s ?

  44. 44.

    leeleeFL

    February 19, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    @LuciaMia: No he doesn’t, not really. He hopes Texans think that.  I hope they spit their next votes right in his stupid face!

    Have I mentioned how much I dislike the tRumps?

    It’s a lot!

  45. 45.

    JMG

    February 19, 2021 at 2:26 pm

    Congratulations, John. I have already posted by lack of expectations for getting the shot anytime soon here in Mass., despite being newly eligible. It’s particularly galling when I consider that Moderna, which makes one of the vaccines, is headquartered here in Cambridge.

  46. 46.

    Phylllis

    February 19, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    @brendancalling:  Here in SC, it’s 65 & up, along with medical, law enforcement & folks like that. My husband got his first shot (Pfizer) Wednesday. It’s looking like mid-March for education folks. The upside is, we will be able to have clinics just for school/district staff without having to go through the appointment process.

  47. 47.

    leeleeFL

    February 19, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    @Catherine D.: Love this!  I like a lot of their product and prices, and I wouldn’t shop there if there were no other sources.  They are evil people.

    Not the workers, the owners.  But I won’t give them my money

  48. 48.

    CraigM

    February 19, 2021 at 2:29 pm

    @Middlelee:  Please consider waiting until 2 weeks after your 2nd shot to get a haircut. When your hair is getting cut, you are probably indoors in close quarters for more than 15 minutes with somebody who has a dozen such contacts per day. My wife got a haircut 8 days after her second shot, only to get a call the next day from her stylist saying she tested positive. Minimum five days (if her covid test is negative) isolating from the kids and me doesn’t seem like a great price to pay for a haircut in hindsight…..

  49. 49.

    SiubhanDuinne

    February 19, 2021 at 2:29 pm

    @oldster:

    Nope. I’m hearing it (and earwormily singing it in my head) to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

  50. 50.

    Roger Moore

    February 19, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    @CaseyL:

    The biggest thing to me about being fully vaccinated is that I can feel more relaxed when I go out.  I’m still not 100% comfortable being out in public, but I can feel a lot less stressed out about my wellbeing if someone around me isn’t wearing a mask or is otherwise doing things that seem unsafe.  It’s still upsetting that they are endangering people around them, but being worried for other people is less stressful than being worried about yourself.

  51. 51.

    Benw

    February 19, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    Click refresh

    There are no appointments available.

    Next tab. Click refresh

    No appointments are available currently.

    Next tab. Click refresh

    Updated at: Feb 19, 2:31PM Appointments: Not Available
    Next tab: back to watching Star Trek: TNG on Netflix (and working on code)

  52. 52.

    Gravenstone

    February 19, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Which is sadly true for many of us, at least for the foreseeable future.

    “I can’t get no … vac-cin-ation”

  53. 53.

    Ruckus

    February 19, 2021 at 2:34 pm

    Literally just sat down in the 15 minute waiting area from my second shot, Pfizer.

    So far so good, first shot was no big deal, let’s hope the results from the second goes well.

    I will feel a lot better in 2-3 months when far more people have been inoculated. Ok maybe 4-5 months.

    Congrats to everyone who has managed to get shots. John.

  54. 54.

    trollhattan

    February 19, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    Having had Pfizer jab 1 last week am hoping the second gets scheduled easily and the process is as smooth. Not presuming either of those, though.

    We had a reorg at work and my group ended up in what appears to be a division run by cowboy engineers, because they’re insisting we return to the office 25% beginning in March and 50% by the month’s end. Because reasons. Seriously, we have all done our jobs reliably for a year and there is no reason organizationally or technically why any of us needs to be physically present.

    The building HVAC system remains 60 years old, there’s no plan to prevent adjacent desks from being occupied, there is no workplace testing regime in place and heaven forfend, no vaccine protocol whatsoever. IOW instead of us being quite safe working at home, their wish is to increase our odds of catching or spreading Covid by showing up half of every workweek.

  55. 55.

    JPL

    February 19, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    @evap: Thank you for volunteering.   I got the Pfizer vaccine at Fulton Cty’s north point site.   It was so efficient.

    Did you sign up to be notified when you are eligible?

  56. 56.

    JPL

    February 19, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    @LuciaMia:  If Abbott keeps screwing up, Fox News will label him as a democrat also.

  57. 57.

    Anyway

    February 19, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    I am scheduled for my 2nd dose, Moderna, on Monday 2/22 – exactly a month after my first dose. Got the email today to sign up for Monday’s clinic.

    I was in no rush to receive the vaccine and happy to be in Phase 5 or whatever but my employer decided I was 1A and asked me to sign up for the 1st dose. Totally unexpected, I was given a day’s notice to sign up for the vaccine clinic (at a closed Safeway). I work for a Diagnostics company and have visited hospital labs and CoreLabs in the before-times but it’s not my Real Job. I support them now from the office (I go in 3-4 times a week). When I received the email about signing up for the 1st Dose I was ambivalent as I don’t meet the risk categories – my workplace is low-density and everyone is properly masked and maintains appropriate distancing. Plus we get tested every week. I could have easily waited but asking for a later appointment seemed like more of a hassle.

    Feels weird to be this close to getting the second dose with so many people anxiously waiting.

  58. 58.

    Ken

    February 19, 2021 at 2:39 pm

    @leeleeFL: No he doesn’t, not really.

    Junior might. He might not realize that “dumbest man in politics” is not a good achievement, even though the competition for it is so fierce.

  59. 59.

    indycat32

    February 19, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    My second (Pfizer) shot is scheduled for March 5, which is exactly one year since I last saw my sister.  Hoping the snow has melted by then.   I’ve got over 12 inches in my driveway.

  60. 60.

    Mart

    February 19, 2021 at 2:43 pm

    @FlyingToaster: sorry miss-heard on radio – SA has paused astra seneca (sounds just like moderna?) https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/coronavirus/south-africa-pauses-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-program-after-found-to-be-less-effective-against-variant/

  61. 61.

    oldster

    February 19, 2021 at 2:44 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Okay, I can hear that, too, I guess.

    The difference is that I naturally heard something languid and slow, whereas you heard something driving and uptempo.

    At my age, that doesn’t come naturally — my tempo is one of several things that just doesn’t get up the way it used to.

  62. 62.

    West of the Cascades

    February 19, 2021 at 2:47 pm

    @Catherine D.: So awesome! I spent five years in Ithaca at the end of the last century and was just back two years ago in the summer, and made a mandatory stop at Wegman’s. Glad the former Hobby Lobby has been repurposed to something more useful.

  63. 63.

    Ten Bears

    February 19, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    @Roger Moore: It has been in our house, but there are/were other things going on.

  64. 64.

    Suzanne

    February 19, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    I’m about to get mine, too…. standing here waiting for my turn….

  65. 65.

    waratah

    February 19, 2021 at 3:05 pm

    @West of the Rockies: I had a call from the pharmacy in my supermarket that I had tried without success to get an appointment.
    they had four no shows and would we like to have them.  We said yes because the city had cancelled for the weather. The young lady who gave me my second shot said she had COVID last fall and when she received her first shot she had a lot of reaction but the second one she did not.

  66. 66.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    February 19, 2021 at 3:07 pm

    The fact that Cole got his first shot, is that a WV thing? Is there some special category in WV he qualifies for?
    Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the cantankerous fart got his shot but if he lived here in CO, he’d be in the last wave and they’re saying not to expect a first shot until the summer.
    I’m in the 16-59 age group, don’t have any specific job category that puts me further up the proverbial vaccination chain and I’m beyond healthy.
    That being said, a friend who’s a middle-school special ed teacher in Estes Park got his first shot last weekend! Every employee in that school district got their first shot last weekend!​

  67. 67.

    West of the Rockies

    February 19, 2021 at 3:09 pm

    @waratah:

    Thank you.  My partner had the virus and her first shot hit hard.  She has her second in a week or so.

  68. 68.

    Kristine

    February 19, 2021 at 3:10 pm

    Envious of all the folks getting their shots. Happy for you and yours, but. Envy.

  69. 69.

    Suzanne

    February 19, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage:  In some states, if you have certain pre-existing health conditions, you can get the shot, regardless of age or employment status.

  70. 70.

    Baud

    February 19, 2021 at 3:14 pm

    @Suzanne:

    “Prone to injury” is a pre-existing conditions?

  71. 71.

    evap

    February 19, 2021 at 3:18 pm

    @JPL:  Yes, I did.  However, I know that as soon as the state gives my university the go-ahead to vaccinate faculty, they will quickly organize everything to get us vaccinated easily.   They did this with the over-65 faculty and staff.  They are desperate to get everyone in the community vaccinated.

  72. 72.

    rikyrah

    February 19, 2021 at 3:19 pm

    Yeah Cole :)

     

    Got my first Pfizer yesterday.

     

    I was wondering how Parents Cole were doing.

  73. 73.

    Suzanne

    February 19, 2021 at 3:20 pm

    @Baud: Maybe Lack-of-Mustard is an autoimmune disorder.

  74. 74.

    Ohio Mom

    February 19, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    I hope some public health scholar or another is taking lots of data on all the variations of vaccine rollouts.

    No two states or health systems appear alike, especially when it comes to who qualifies in what sequence. Sign-up processes appear to vary widely as well

    Because there is going to be another pandemic one day and maybe that next time we will get it right if we pay attention and take good notes this time around.

    So far, Ohio Son and I have both gotten our first jabs — Son because he is served by the county Disabilities board, me because by Ohio standards, I’m the magic age of 65. Ohio Dad, with his heart disease and diabetes is arguably the most at risk of the three of us, is too young at 63. He would have a better chance of his health issues weren’t under good control. I know his day will come, it’s just hard being patient about it.

    The actual vaccination sites Ohio Son and I used were like Cole’s, extremely efficient and user-friendly. That may be the only universally well-organized phase of this national effort.

  75. 75.

    evap

    February 19, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    @West of the Rockies:  Sorry about your partner.  A friend who had a pretty bad case of COVID back in March (but was never hospitalized) had a few days of a flashback after his second shot.  103 fever, chills, fatigue.   He was pretty traumatized by it.

  76. 76.

    SiubhanDuinne

    February 19, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    @oldster:

    you heard something driving and uptempo.

    At my age, that doesn’t come naturally

    Dunno how old you are. I’m 79 next birthday.

  77. 77.

    lowtechcyclist

    February 19, 2021 at 3:24 pm

    @Roger Moore: ​
     

    Introversion proved its value as a survival trait over the past year.

    Boy howdy, ain’t that the truth?

    I wouldn’t want to do this forever, but for the past eleven months, the company of my wife, son, and cats has sufficed; on a day-to-day basis, that’s really been all the meatspace company I’ve needed.

    I know that isn’t true for everyone. My wife and my little sister are both really up against their limits of how much of this they can tolerate. But as long as I don’t have go to through a second winter of this, I should be good.

    In a few weeks, I’ll be able to get outside, get on my bike, do active things. I can make it through these next few weeks, and from there it’ll be a lot easier.

  78. 78.

    zzyzx

    February 19, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    I thought I found a mass clinic that had extras that would have gone to waste due to the storms so I signed up but the weather got better in time that it was back to normal WA rules and while I’ll take extras, I won’t lie to line cut.

    It’s frustrating because every other state I’ve ever lived in has diabetics eligible or about to be in…

  79. 79.

    MisterForkbeard

    February 19, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    My parents just got scheduled for feb 25th! To say I’m excited is a huge understatement.

    So congrats Cole, you beat my 70 year old parents in a race :)

  80. 80.

    m.glafmer

    February 19, 2021 at 3:32 pm

    I haven’t had a haircut since January. January 31 2020 to be precise.

    I’m glad you got your vaccination, and I will get a haircut after I get my vaccination.

    So I’m hoping for July or August. I should have a decent ponytail by then.​​

  81. 81.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    February 19, 2021 at 3:33 pm

    this seems significant

    Two positive developments this week could potentially expand access to the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a time when nations around the world are trying to ramp up vaccinations.
    A study in Israel showed that the vaccine is robustly effective after the first shot, echoing what other research has shown for the AstraZeneca vaccine and raising the possibility that regulators in some countries could authorize delaying a second dose instead of giving both on the strict schedule of three weeks apart as tested in clinical trials.

  82. 82.

    lowtechcyclist

    February 19, 2021 at 3:37 pm

    @oldster: ​

    By the way, anyone else read the title of this post and hear the Temptations singing “Just my ‘magination”?

    No, but I’ve already got the tune picked out for when I get shot #2 (haven’t got #1 yet, but thinking ahead!). To the tune of the Swingin’ Medallions’ “Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)”:

    Double shot of my Covid vax, yeah yeah yeah,
    double shot of my Covid vax,
    Now I know I can finally relax,
    I’ve got a double shot of my Covid vax.
    ​​​​

  83. 83.

    Seanly

    February 19, 2021 at 3:38 pm

    John – as my stepfather always told me: “There are 3 things everyone hates: cold coffee, wet toilet paper and a wise ass like you.”

    Congrats on getting your 1st dose. My wife works in admin for one of the hospitals here in Boise and got her doses in their 3rd tier. Idaho is moving slow – I think the state is only getting 25k doses/week. Still not opened up to people w/ pre-existing conditions – just over 65 and a long list of others.

    Pre-existing & under 65 is projected for late April. I hope a rollout of more vaccines speeds that up.

    However, my employer is doubling down on not returning to work. Our office space decreased to around 50 cubicles (for 125 employees) and there won’t be any personal items as no more assigned seats.

  84. 84.

    dexwood

    February 19, 2021 at 3:39 pm

    My wife’s 93 year old parents got their first shots yesterday nearly four weeks after we registered them for a vaccine appointment. Meanwhile, my neighbor who works for the state’s Department of Health from home, her wife who works from home, both in their 40s, and her retired mother living with them, all received their second shots last week. She got a bit defensive when I said it must be nice to have connections.

  85. 85.

    'Niques

    February 19, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    @Benw: I did that my first try with Publix, to no avail. The next available day, I kept just one window open to the side, while browsing a different one, and let it do its own refreshing. Took less than an hour that way. Don’t know if the website you’re using works the same, but worth a try…

  86. 86.

    JPL

    February 19, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    @evap: When I saw the link this morning, I sent it to my sons.   The one who always gets a flu shot, thanked me and signed up.   The other who doesn’t, texted back that he saw it last night, and signed up.   I restrained from sending a text back saying good boy…

  87. 87.

    WaterGirl

    February 19, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    @’Niques: Hi there.  Welcome!

    All screen names with apostrophes in them have to have every single comment manually approved before they will show up.

    It’s a WordPress thing, and there is nothing to be done about it except to bow to the will of WordPress :-) or to accept that people will likely miss most of your comments.

  88. 88.

    JPL

    February 19, 2021 at 3:44 pm

    West Virginia is one of the top states at vaccinating folks and should be congratulated.   I’m pleased that John was able to get the vaccine.

  89. 89.

    Ken

    February 19, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    @m.glafmer: I’ve been cutting my own hair since last year. It looks OK from the front, and it’s rare anyone sees the back.  It does give me an “emo teenager” vibe when I pick up the scissors and start snipping off hanks of hair.

  90. 90.

    Ken

    February 19, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    @WaterGirl: All screen names with apostrophes in them have to have every single comment manually approved before they will show up.

    Yes, and we all know the reason for that.

  91. 91.

    gwangung

    February 19, 2021 at 3:52 pm

    Not anywhere close to getting a shot (I turn 65 in June).

    But my 88-year old mom is getting her second shot today, so…relief!

  92. 92.

    CCL

    February 19, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    We got appointments for the first dose – March 8th for me and March 25th for Partner.  So relieved to get this far.

  93. 93.

    Niques

    February 19, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    @WaterGirl: Thank you for the explanation! I am a long time lurker (GW days) seldom commenter, and did not realize.

  94. 94.

    The Pale Scot

    February 19, 2021 at 3:55 pm

    So I need to bring my dad to WV? ‘Cause shit ain’t happening down here in SW FL

  95. 95.

    JPL

    February 19, 2021 at 4:01 pm

    @The Pale Scot: Just have him donate to the governor and you should be all set.

    I don’t mean to be flippant, but the governor has been playing games.

    There is good news though..      .Pfizer CEO: Expect to double number of doses shipped for the U.S. from avg of 5M doses per week now starting in the next couple of weeks. Pfizer is on track to provide 120M doses to US by end of March and 200M doses released by the end of May, 2 months ahead of original schedule

  96. 96.

    Ohio Mom

    February 19, 2021 at 4:04 pm

    Zzyzx:

    At the moment in Ohio, only Type 1 diabetics and only if you’ve had such bad control that you’ve been hospitalized in the past year. Same standard for people with asthma.

    Just another example of each state using different standards. Which set of standards is the fairest, most efficient and effective at flattening the curve and saving lives? Nobody knows,obviously.

  97. 97.

    NotMax

    February 19, 2021 at 4:04 pm

    Blog owner is an essential vocation?

    Who knew?

    :)

  98. 98.

    zzyzx

    February 19, 2021 at 4:06 pm

    @Ohio Mom: The fairest is the one that gets me a damn dose at some point. Once that’s done, we can prioritize the other 7 billion people!

  99. 99.

    Nora Lenderbee

    February 19, 2021 at 4:08 pm

    @oldster: ​
     
    The Who, “Talkin’ ‘Bout My Vaccination”

  100. 100.

    randy khan

    February 19, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    On the question of how hard it is, even for people acting in good faith, it can be hard.

    We obviously don’t know how my father-in-law got the virus, as nobody was even attempting contact tracing when he got it because there were just too many people getting infected.  It could have been from the caregivers who are helping my mother-in-law; it could have been from me, since I was doing the shopping and dropped off the food every week. (I’ve never had any symptoms, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get it.)  But we also know that, even though he was working at home and even though I was doing their weekly shopping, he was going out periodically to do things he didn’t want to ask us to do.  I personally think that he was going stir crazy and just needed a break from the house.  But obviously he really increased his risk by doing it, and he absolutely knew that it was safer to stay home.

  101. 101.

    NotMax

    February 19, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne

    Not “Hit Me with Your Best Shot?”

    ;)

  102. 102.

    randy khan

    February 19, 2021 at 4:13 pm

    @JPL:

    There is good news though..      .Pfizer CEO: Expect to double number of doses shipped for the U.S. from avg of 5M doses per week now starting in the next couple of weeks. Pfizer is on track to provide 120M doses to US by end of March and 200M doses released by the end of May, 2 months ahead of original schedule.

    That is excellent news.  If Moderna does similar things and J&J ramps up quickly, we could have 2/3 of the country vaccinated by Memorial Day.

  103. 103.

    Ruckus

    February 19, 2021 at 4:14 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    The VA is very well organized on the ground. Not so much in communications or information. I got my first shot because I pushed for info, which turned into me getting an appointment minutes after they lowered the age from 74 to 65. But the real question is that there are not more people in line. Today I waited for maybe 5 minutes at most and they had a temporary tent clinic set up as well. The attendant told me it had been busy at 8am but by 11:30 it was basically empty. But because the outside info is so poor I’d bet not everyone who is eligible has even heard they are vaccinating. She said they do about 400 a week. They could easily do twice that, maybe they don’t have enough vaccine on hand.

  104. 104.

    AnnaN

    February 19, 2021 at 4:16 pm

    “I’m not all the way there yet, but I feel like I am very close to an in-game achievement for slaying the final boss.”

    Hah!  My first thought was “Yay for you!  Mythic or Heroic Castle Nathria?”

    I got the Moderna through work (the VA) and both shots gave me massive arm pain and fatigue.  But I like napping, so ‘sall good.  Congratulations on your first!

  105. 105.

    mvr

    February 19, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    I’m glad. Congrats!

  106. 106.

    FlyingToaster

    February 19, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    @Mart: Happens.  Please don’t sweat it.

    To reiterate:  the mRNA vaccines are more effective overall.  Against the original strain, they run >90% effective; against non-targeted strains, the current guesstimate is ~67% effective.

    The adenovirus vaccines (AstraZenica, Sputnik, Sinovax, J&J) are somewhat less effective (somewhere in the 80% range) against the original strain, and are significantly less effective against non-targeted strains than the mRNA vaccines.

    Covid-19 is headed straight into endemic status; the sooner we can get everyone possible vaccinated, with ANY vaccine, the rate of variation will slow down.  Expect that we’ll see a “need a covid booster” every year or three, not unlike the annual flu shot.

    This is the first pandemic of a novel virus; it won’t be the last.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    February 19, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    @Niques: We will have a moment of silence for your lost apostrophe.

  108. 108.

    oldster

    February 19, 2021 at 4:32 pm

    @Nora Lenderbee:

    Why don’t you all  just f-f-f-fade away?

    No — not you guys, I meant the viruses!
    Hey, come back! I meant the viruses!

  109. 109.

    JPL

    February 19, 2021 at 4:32 pm

    @randy khan: Yup

     

    BTW   fk WV

    Manchin is voting no on Neera Tandem..

  110. 110.

    WaterGirl

    February 19, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    @JPL: I wonder if he’s pissed that something else isn’t going his way.

  111. 111.

    ColoradoGuy

    February 19, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    Got Moderna #2 yesterday. Taking big doses of Vitamin C (4 to 6 grams/day) seems to help with the side effects, so I can’t say this was worse than the first time. I wanted to avoid taking NSAIDS, but medical opinion seems to be divided on that. From the first time around, I know the drama is all over in 36 hours.

  112. 112.

    different-church-lady

    February 19, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    It feels like we’re getting closer to the end, and I’m not going to let all this every-nation-variant we-recommend-triple-N137-masks stuff get to me.

  113. 113.

    catclub

    February 19, 2021 at 4:45 pm

    @pat:&nbsp

    ;The clinic was very efficient. We were told not to appear more than 5 minutes before our appointment.

    Ha! our appointments were at drive through clinics, and there is no way they can order people in order of appointment, so if your appointment is today, anytime today will be honored.

  114. 114.

    different-church-lady

    February 19, 2021 at 4:47 pm

    @Ten Bears:

    Surprising how easy it’s been, fourteen almost fifteen months of lockdown.

    Results vary. Results SERIOUSLY fuckin’ vary. “Not as bad as it could of been” =/= “easy”

  115. 115.

    different-church-lady

    February 19, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    BTW, I’m getting really frustrated with the term “lockdown”. Things are not locked down. Things are restricted, but hardy anyone is realistically locked down anymore. Even in the beginning when things really were locked down, they weren’t as locked down as they might have been. Knock it off.

  116. 116.

    Ruckus

    February 19, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I wonder if his head is so far up his ass he can’t see sunlight or even remember that it’s bright.

    There’s a government to run, one that’s been destroyed by the last 4 years of nothing but bullshit. The rule should be, 1. Can this person do the job? 2. Is this person willing to do the job? Put them in and move the fuck on.

    There is a reason I’m not in politics. I had a job for 11 yrs in professional sports. My job boiled down to being able to say the word NO, any time I opened my mouth, to anyone outside of where I worked. As a job, it could rather suck many days. But I didn’t try to make it even harder because I would just reflexively say NO.

  117. 117.

    Ruckus

    February 19, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    @catclub:

    That’s pretty much how the VA operates here. I was an hour early to my first shot and 45 min today, waited no more than 5 min either time.

  118. 118.

    Middlelee

    February 19, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    @CraigM:

    I should have said.  He is cutting outdoors and I shampoo before I go.

  119. 119.

    Roger Moore

    February 19, 2021 at 6:10 pm

    @Ken:

    I’ve been cutting my own hair (buzz cut) since I was a teenager. I never expected it would mean my hair was better maintained than people who go to fancy hair places.

  120. 120.

    Roger Moore

    February 19, 2021 at 6:16 pm

    @NotMax:

    Blog owner is an essential vocation?

    I’m pretty sure it’s an avocation for Mr. Cole, and his vocation is related to Bethany College.  He’s probably included because education is considered high priority.

  121. 121.

    rikyrah

    February 19, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    @evap:

    ???

  122. 122.

    chopper

    February 19, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage:

    “people who have injured themselves mopping naked and/or shaving their cat’s asshole” are in section 1B in w. va.

  123. 123.

    rikyrah

    February 19, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    @West of the Rockies:

    The pharmacist at the CVS in my work building had a hard reaction to Moderna shot 1. Don’t know if had C19 before. But,it only lasted a day.

  124. 124.

    rikyrah

    February 19, 2021 at 6:26 pm

    @CaseyL:

    I have decided not to change my habits. The main reason for getting it for me is because I want a fighting chance if I get it. Right now, COVID= ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH for me. So, I welcome a fighting chance.

     

    Double ?? folks

  125. 125.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    February 19, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    @grelican:

     

    Just curious– what got you on the list? Totally understand if you don’t want to share.

    John is a senior citizen.

  126. 126.

    rikyrah

    February 19, 2021 at 6:31 pm

    @Suzanne:

    That is me. I didn’t qualify until last Wednesday, when the Governor declared certain underlying conditions were being added to the list. Without the Governor expanding the categories, I could not have qualified.

  127. 127.

    glc

    February 19, 2021 at 6:32 pm

    @Ken: Speaking of data issues, I just noticed this:

    https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2021/02/nj-vaccine-site-changes-sign-up-system-to-stop-people-from-cutting-in-line.html

  128. 128.

    rikyrah

    February 19, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    You couldn’t have qualified Ohio Dad as son’s caretaker?

  129. 129.

    WaterGirl

    February 19, 2021 at 6:46 pm

    @chopper: I wondered when that was going to come up!  :-)

  130. 130.

    Miss Bianca

    February 19, 2021 at 6:57 pm

    Felicitations! That is good news indeed!

  131. 131.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    February 19, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    Here in Montgomery County MD we’re still doing 75 and older. I’m about John’s age and I think it’ll be July before they get around to my age group at this rate.

  132. 132.

    Miss Bianca

    February 19, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: All our school staff (who wanted it, anyway – seems like the vast majority did) were supposed to be getting their first shots today. Baby steps, CO, baby steps…

  133. 133.

    Ruckus

    February 19, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @Roger Moore: 
    I used to have long hair. Lots of long hair.
    Then.
    I used to have hair on the top of my head.
    Then.
    When I stopped fighting it after about a year, I started buzzing it. Far easier, it doesn’t look any worse (either that or I’m used to it…)
    Now once a week the entire noggin gets buzzed. Takes a minute or two, done.
    The part that hurts the most is my cousin, who is 4 or 5 yrs younger than me started losing his hair in his mid 20s. Now he has more hair than I do. He looks the same as he did in his late 20s and even if I wanted to, I can’t laugh at him any longer, even behind his back.

  134. 134.

    J R in WV

    February 19, 2021 at 7:52 pm

    Here in WV, the state Dept of Health and Human Resources has organized a (commercially produced) web site where people can register their interest in a Covid-19 vaccination.

    I signed up both of us, Wife and I. The site gets your age and health issues. They contact people who signup so that you know you are registered using your preferred method of contact. I entered my email, Wife’s email, home phone for both of us.

    Monday or Tuesday I got a call from the Primary Care Clinic in the county seat — it is relatively newly built and is the only major clinic in the county outside of a couple of independent doctors. No hospital at all. There is a county EMT ambulance service with small sites around the county, HQ at the Primary Care Clinic.

    The county seat was shut down dead — no power since Sunday night, nothing was open until we got to the clinic, which was busy. They have two big diesel Kohler generators, one for each building. The shot clinic was small, one room with maybe 8 staff, two at the paperwork table where you enter, two filling syringes at a table, and two injection stations. There were a couple of National Guard folk in uniform, dunno what they were doing, maybe delivering vaccine?

    We were in there for about 25 minutes, counting the sit still for 15 minutes after your shot, sitting in chairs about 8 feet apart. Informal but professional. Got a CDC shot card with data about the vaccine we received and an appointment next month for shot two. Arm is a little sore.

    We went to Kroger’s after the vaccinations, needed more bottled water as we were nearly out, no power since Sunday night, onions, salad greens, etc, etc, etc. Was pooped when I got back to the car… still had to move 20+ gallons of water and 4 big boxes of groceries into the house.

    When we got home — THE POWER WAS BACK ON !!!!

  135. 135.

    Brachiator

    February 19, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    NPR had posted a useful guide, How to Sign Up for the Vaccine in Your State

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