
Check out the photo from the setup at Steeplejack’s vaccine location. Wow.
From reading the comments in threads this afternoon, it sure feels to me like opportunities to get the vaccine have started opening up by leaps and bounds just in the last couple of days.
Does it seem like that to you guys, too?
We have kitty stickers: Samwise, Baby Champ, Tikka and Steve
We have pups: Henry, Rosie & Thurston, Lily, and Badger
We have balloons:
We have special stickers for Johnson & Johnson, in case you want them: Daisy, Max, Mr. Bear
We have stickers for people who are frustrated!
We have awesome people:
And of course, beloved Penelope and adorable ducklings:
All stickers by the talented MazeDancer!
schrodingers_cat
Not yet in MA
WaterGirl
@schrodingers_cat: Bummer. Hopefully soon.
zhena gogolia
@schrodingers_cat:
Nor for younger people in CT. Oldsters are getting them right and left.
cope
I do get the same general feeling. I suppose it is inevitable as more doses are made and a third player hits the field. Also, it’s just physics that the more people who get vaccinated, the fewer people who need it. WINNING!
WaterGirl
I think that Schumer got out ahead of his skis when he said the feds would be offering shots to anyone regardless of age – my theory is that Biden will be announcing that as part of his speech tonight.
I hope the networks plan to carry it live.
Buckeye
Yes. Ohio expanded eligibility starting today, to 50 and over. I was able to sign up for a Monday appt. The site within walking distance doesn’t open registration until tomorrow, so I’ll try for that as well.
dmsilev
Roughly one in four adults in the US have gotten at least a first shot. That’s fairly substantial. We still have a long way to go, and at a guess it will probably be a month or six weeks until all of the various priority groups are worked through and we switch completely to ‘Over 16? Sign up now.’.
VeniceRiley
We have a few big sites at work with the specialty temp equipment and all; but our same building as clinic pharmacies start doing doses sometime next week. CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid all involved now. Mass county sites like Disney. It seems to me like it does to you. Lots of food service and grocery getting their shots.
Jay C
Personally, I’m OK: I got my first shot (Pfizer) on 3/1, and they slotted me in for #2 on 3/22, so that (hopefully) will be that: our big problem, though is with Mrs. Jay: the Spouse is chronically ill, and finds getting out to be a HUGE ordeal. What would help is some sort of program to deliver vaccinations (ideally, the one-shot J&J) to the housebound, but nothing like that seems to exist.
dmsilev
@WaterGirl: I got a news alert saying that Biden plans to announce May 1st as the date by which everyone will be able to sign up for an appointment. Not ‘get a shot’ by then, but at least enter the open enrollment phase.
Edit. Story, via LA Times:
Subcommandante Yakbreath
Not here in Northeast PA. Geisinger, which is the largest hospital in the area (I think) hasn’t been taking any appointments for a couple of weeks. I’m hoping my wife (children’s librarian) can get vaccinated through one of her employers. I’m trying not to be impatient but am now A Old and would like to not have to worry about getting infected.
citizen dave
Based on my immediate experience, yes, my wife got shot #2 this afternoon.
Response 2: Seems like we’re heading in the right direction in central Indiana. The Big 10 basketball tournament has “resumed” after a year’s interruption and the women are playing their tourney here also. We’re hosting the whole damn mens tourney in the next three weeks. The Republic of Texas has the NCAA Womens tourney–that should be interesting.
Baud
@dmsilev:
A little later than I was expecting, but not bad. I have a feeling they consider that a safe date.
chopper
that pic looks like the setup where i got the shot. college ballroom repurposed, bunch of tables just cranking them out.
chopper
@dmsilev:
which means, if it’s anything like the whole first 100 million shots thing, he’ll announce in the beginning of april that it’s being moved up 2 weeks and look like a hero
Just Some Fuckhead
@WaterGirl: Makes sense. Most of the early selection was to make sure the most jeopardized folks got them while they were available. Now that we know we have enough to vaccinate the entire adult population, not an issue.
BamaLib
Purely anecdotal, but after weeks of people showing up at 7 AM and finding out there were 100 people in line in front of them, I got a text from a friend that the neighboring county’s Board of Health had no line and plenty of doses. I took off work early to give it a shot, and was in and out in half an hour.
I do get the feeling that the supply of shots is growing and the mass of people desperate for a dose is subsiding. I think my experience will be the norm for the next few weeks, perhaps followed by a period of chasing and nagging the unvaccinated to get it done.
dmsilev
@chopper: I could live with that.
mvr
The health department ( in Lincoln Nebraska) sent an email out to University Employees over 50 who were teaching in person late last night. I have my appointment for a first shot at 10:15 tomorrow morning. Looking forward to it.
Earlier this week they sent out a notice by mistake which led to a dead end with no appointments. I think it was an event only for k-12 teachers. They told me one would happen soon when I called to find out what I’d missed. I figured it would be next week, so this was surprise good news.
raven
They just said tonight he’s going to open it up to everyone.
Hoppie
Here in San Diego (tendance Hillcrest), both Ms. H and I have had our second doses.
25% of the county population has received at least first dose.
Achrachno
I got my second shot today, and a lot of other seasoned folks were there too — this in inland So. Cal. I was originally scheduled for Monday but they postponed it for whatever reason. Things are moving!
mvr
@WaterGirl:
TPM says Biden will announce tonight that by May 1 all will be elligible.
Anoniminous
Vaccines seem to be readily available in our neck of the desert. Problem will be getting the ignorant hick Evangelicals & etc. to get shot.
Overheard at the DMV a while back:
“I’m not getting the vaccine. I don’t want animal DNA in MY body!”
(*sigh*)
thylacine
Just got Pfizer dose 1. 61 years old, Colorado.
WaterGirl
@Baud: I agree on safe dates.
I think that every publicly announced Biden date has a secret internal date that is in the 50% or 75% timeframe, relative to the publicly announced date.
Steeplejack
Re picture at top (thanks, WaterGirl!):
This was taken this morning at the big Inova Health facility in Fairfax, VA, just outside the D.C. Beltway. They had 34 “stations” working, and my shot-giver (front left in picture) said they would give between 2,300-2,700 doses today.
The whole process was very well organized and ran smoothly. My appointment was at 10:30, but I was told to get their 15 minutes early in case any additional paperwork was needed. I actually got there a little after 10:00, because I knew the place was huge and I might get lost. But they had many signs, starting when you got off the public road onto their campus, and once you made your way to the building there were many volunteers pointing you along the way. At one point someone looked at my confirmation e-mail (on my phone), then later someone looked me up on a computer. Then, boom, into the big room for the shot and the “self-monitoring” period afterwards. I left the building at 10:28, before my appointment was scheduled to begin!
I took the picture because it struck me—as it has struck me many times—that we often tend to overlook history in the making right under our noses. We assume that someone else is doing it (local TV news?), or we don’t get roused unless it’s something like a flaming Karen outbreak. But a lot of important stuff is not “dramatic.”
Just Some Fuckhead
Also important to note Biden leveraged the Defense Production Act, something Trump refused to do for months and months and then did it half-assedly if at all. This needs more reporting. People need to understand Republican ideology doesn’t support the thing that will move us through this crisis.
WaterGirl
@chopper: I think on Fridays they leave the tables set up for the banquets on Saturday. :-)
oh, right, no banquets b/c of covid.
Baud
UncleEbeneezer
Here in rainy Los Angeles, there is decent availability at mega-sites like Dodger Stadium, Pomona Fairplex etc., but when I searched for local stuff at CVS, Ralphs, Walgreens etc., they were already reserved.
WaterGirl
@raven: Who is they and where did they say that?
edit: are you talking about the “it will be open to all adults who want it by May 1” announcement?
Spanky
I pre-registered both my wife & I at the county health dept website, but it was out PCP who sent me the email yesterday with the link to the health dept reservation site. In and out this afternoon in about 25 minutes, including the 15 minute observation period. A drive-through system that takes 3 cars at a time. Just rolled down the window, rolled up my sleeve, boom, a short bit of paperwork, and I was out.
Mrs. Spanky now feels left out. I expect, though, that it’ll come quickly like mine did.
(PS – Moderna #1 and no side effects. Shoulder feels fine, but ask me in the morning.)
Gvg
My group officially is not on the eligible list. I work for a University and we got excluded from educator even though our students are probably spreading it more. However one site at least is counting us anyway so I drove an hour and a half on no notice to get it. Our dean sent an email at lunch about the opportunity, and I left about 45 minutes later. Thought it would be an ordinary day at work this morning. There are stories other colleges were doing their own but not us. Fortunately I had discussed getting it with my bosses and our department is slow this time of year. The site won’t take me for an appointment. You have to just go and show ID when you get there.
My mother had sent me an email before lunch, again, asking if I had heard when the University was going to do us all. She was really worried and wanted me vaccinated. I had a choice of J&J or Pfizer, and I went with Pfizer. They had plenty and it wasn’t as busy as I would like to have seen. National Guardsman gave the shot and he was good at it. No pain.
raven
@WaterGirl: yes
Just Some Fuckhead
@Steeplejack: Looks a little closer quarters than I’d like. But I agree, this is history-making (I said basically the same thing on a previous thread), if it works.
Jacqueline Squid Onassis
Not a chance here in Oregon. I’m not an essential worker and I’m under 80, so I’m not eligible. I might be by June, though!
I am so envious of all the people I know getting vaccinated.
feebog
@UncleEbeneezer
The wife and I got our shots at Magic Mountain. Both visits were in and out with no real wait. You don’t have to get out of the car and can read a book for a few minutes afterward while they assure you don’t have a bad reaction.
raven
@Jacqueline Squid Onassis: May 1
narya
Yes, indeed, more are becoming available: 700 FQHCs will start getting direct supply the second week in April–and those doses are above and beyond whatever we are getting from the local department of public health, etc. Those doses are supposed to target folks who have barriers to care (especially financial barriers), and the first round of this distribution, to 250 FQHCs, targeted folks experiencing homelessness, migrant workers, etc. They are actively looking for FQHCs that have mobile health capabilities, so those of you who need that might want to check out your local health center (the HRSA website has a “find a health center” link).
Anoniminous
@Steeplejack:
On January 11, 2020 Chinese scientists published the SARS-CoV-19 genome.
14 months later we’ve got a number of different vaccines.
This is a major triumph for the fields of Virology and Molecular Biology.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Jacqueline Squid Onassis: I have a feeling that obtaining the vaccination is a lot easier if one has an “in”. Not saying that’s a negative, just is what it is. I registered early early early as high-risk and still haven’t heard a thing. Meanwhile, the employers of my wife and I were able to get their entire workforces of hundreds of people vaccinated.
Martin
May 1 is conservative. Willing to bet that date gets moved up by the end of Mar.
Erin
@Steeplejack:
I knew it was Inova Fairfax the moment I saw the picture. That’s where I had it too.
WaterGirl
@narya:
FQHCs?
frosty
Repeating from downstairs: just got the Moderna shot at Walmart in Hattiesburg MS. They don’t seem to be following their state residence rule and as of this morning, plenty of appts available.
Now I have to figure out how to get a second shot in California in 4 to 6 weeks.
laura
Please Samwise me! Got jab the 1st this morning and so very grateful and still can’t believe it.
Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)
@Subcommandante Yakbreath: Try findashot.org they have CVS and Rite Aid appointments and check for availability every 4 minutes. If you get into RiteAid’s site select a store and see an appointment slot but it says “another customer just selected that time” keep checking it they may quit before completing and I got one on my 4th time going out and back in to that store’s availability. I got the first shot this afternoon (Moderna).
Good luck
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
“Federally qualified health center.” I had to look it up.
debbie
@Steeplejack:
Where I went, there was a sign telling us not to take photos. I wonder if it’s a HIPA violation?
debbie
@frosty:
Did they give you a shot card? That should work in CA.
Steeplejack
@debbie:
I asked my shot-taker if I could take a picture, and he said yes. Like he was authorized to say! But what the hey.
Just Some Fuckhead
@debbie: Probably. The rules around disclosure need a serious look. We regularly have Covid exposures at my place of work and the communications are desperately devoid of anything that would help one gauge ones risk. “We had an employee test positive for Covid. We can’t say who it was..”
Really ridiculous, particularly in context of a hundred year killer pandemic.
counterfactual
Mentioned before, Ohio opened up 50+ eligibility today, and I snagged an appointment for tomorrow. The county has opened up a new site for this round, it wasn’t in the list we had for Dad’s appointments last month.
japa21
Heard last night that Dollar General stores would like to be one of the places giving shots. I am sure it could only be the J&J vaccine, but this would be a great deal. Obviously they would have regular medical personnel doing the work, but this would greatly increase geographical availability plus, as they found out in WV, having local places like that where a lot of rural people shop be the location, it would actually increase trust.
debbie
@Just Some Fuckhead:
We stopped getting notices by the end of April. Apparently, letting us know what was going on was too taxing for our delicate HR coworkers. //
sukabi
Got my 1st moderna shot today. Drive through setup, very well run. Email sent out the other day alerting eligible people (process to determine eligibility through state DoH) to the vaccine clinic with your choice of available times….got there about 40 minutes pre appointment, was checked in, queued up and got my first dose within 10 minutes….another 15 minute wait in the parking lot, EMTs standing by in case anyone had a reaction, and done.
Very well run, efficient. No getting out of your car.
Chetan Murthy
Here in SF, it seems like while there may be more availability, it hasn’t changed enough to open up for anybody who wasn’t already-prioritized. So 56yo, high BP, high cholesterol fatty me, still waitin’. Ah, well. If it means teachers get the shots, I’m good with it.
Roger Moore
@cope:
Here’s another important point. In December and January, we were having a hard time finding people to inject the few doses of vaccine we had available because they were all so busy treating COVID patients. Now that there aren’t as many people in the hospital with COVID, there are more people available to give vaccinations. It’s a virtuous circle!
Scout211
I know several jackals were complaining about finding appointments in the South Sound area of Washington. Thurston county public health just announced 3 clinics in Thurston county for eligible residents. One on the 13th for educators (appointments now open) and two for any residents who are eligible on the 14th and 15th (appointments not yet open).
https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/phss/Coronavirus/Pages/coronavirus-vaccine-info.aspx
Yes, availability seems to be getting better. Most places, at least.
Just Some Fuckhead
@japa21: Dollar stores shouldn’t inspire trust. If there’s a Dollar Store in your area, you should probably be rightfully cautious. They are a leading indicator of poverty, crime and hopelessness.
FlyingToaster
3 of WarriorTeen’s core teachers have gotten their first shots (the private school consortium contracted with CVS to access the Federal allocation as soon as it was available). The expectation is that the entire staff will be vaccinated by May. But, since all students are aged 4-14, they’re still going to be on mask/pod/distancing protocols for the remainder of the year.
The public school teachers just became eligible today through the state, but Charlie Baker remains a freaking tool and is only dedicating one day a week to vaccinating teachers. All while mandating that schools must reopen full time. Fuckwit. Since two of Watertown’s grade schools are bare frames (town took the opportunity to accelerate the rebuild of Cuniff & Hosmer), that’s going be be kinda difficult, man.
WaterGirl
I am getting excited about Joe’s speech tonight.
Look for a thread for the speech from TaMara – she has one scheduled for 7:55.
Just Some Fuckhead
@debbie: My workplace is all over this Covid thing but not being able to name a Covid carrier is the antithesis to actually stopping the spread of Covid. And just to hammer that home, I’m a Director in my agency and I can’t even know even if it’s my own staff.
WaterGirl
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Serving precisely the communities that are currently underserved for the vaccine. So that is perfect. Meet the people where they are.
Just Some Fuckhead
@WaterGirl: Well this is obviously not the place to get on my soapbox about dollar stores. :)
WaterGirl
@Just Some Fuckhead: That is really dumb. I’m sorry you have to deal with that.
WaterGirl
@Just Some Fuckhead: Nothing wrong with trashing dollar stores. I just won’t trash them as vaccine locations.
There is one (relatively) upscale dollar store in my town, and it’s the only I don’t feel like I have to take a shower when I get home. And that was before covid!
rikyrah
@schrodingers_cat:
Keep on pushing. Sign up everywhere, at every pharmacy.
debbie
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Same thing at my workplace. “We can tell you it was on your floor and in your area, but we can’t tell you who it is.” They did tell us when one of our team of 6 died, but i think she would have been missed eventually. // Assholes.
Roger Moore
@BamaLib:
Because the vaccines are operating under emergency use rules, it isn’t legal to require anyone to get vaccinated. That changes when the vaccines start to get final approval. Once they’re fully approved, a lot of employers will want to go back to regular working conditions and will require their employees to get their shots. Expect a lot of people who are hesitant to get vaccinated to change their minds when that happens.
PsiFighter37
One hopes that the bounce from crushing this thing sustains Biden through the midterms. Frankly, it should be his meal pass to an easy reelection as long as he wants it. But I am very happy to know that I should be able to get the vaccine in May…hopefully before what should be a trip out to California in the middle of the month.
suilebhan
Got Moderna #1 on Friday here in WA. Looking forward to #2 on April 2.
CaseyL
Sounds like we’re getting into high gear! The Administration has its supply lines settled, its distribution set up, and is partnering with anyone willing to be an injection site, as long as the site is properly staffed. Sounds like there are enough healthcare workers and trained civilians to staff all the sites.
I expect/hope for an avalanche of availability.
rikyrah
@Jay C:
You are right. There should be some sort of program like this.
frosty
@debbie: Yes, I got a shot card. It would be great if that overrides the state regs. We’ll see.
I went around and around on this and decided one shot with a long wait for 2 was better than nothing. The websites on efficacy for one shot were all over the place and not much help.
frosty
@laura: Me too, relieved and grateful.
Roger Moore
@Jacqueline Squid Onassis:
That’s odd. My parents are in Oregon, and they’ve been complaining that the state keeps opening up to more categories of people before they’ve finished with the previous group. They particularly complained about it being opened to 65+ while they, in the 80+ category, are still having trouble getting an appointment.
Benw
@Steeplejack:
Good idea! I didn’t think of that for my first; I’m definitely taking pics for my second.
Steeplejack
@Just Some Fuckhead:
That murkiness has been driving my brother crazy. He’s a doctor (ophthalmologist) at a large HMO clinic. Very little communication from management. He refers a patient to a specialist, gets a message back: “Uh, Dr. Figby is out of the office for the next two weeks.” (This at a place where they have to schedule vacation time months in advance and it gets factored into the availability schedules.) Then he’ll hear through the doc grapevine: “Connie? Oh, yeah, she got COVID.” My brother’s own minor outpatient surgery had to be rescheduled because his doctor got COVID.
Bro’ Man is retiring at the end of April, and he does not want to be like cop movie Danny Glover, getting killed weeks before the end of his career. But he got his second shot a few weeks ago, so his anxiety level has gone way down.
rikyrah
I got my second Fauci Ouchie this afternoon. so far, no adverse effects.
Electing Joe Biden got us here.
I just ??? thinking where we would be if Dolt45 had been re-elected.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
Still no dice for me here in Montgomery County MD. Fucking Hogan. I’ll believe May when I see it the way things are going here.
Roger Moore
@debbie:
I don’t think it’s a HIPAA violation- HIPAA applies to providers, not to patients- but a lot of providers are so paranoid about HIPAA and patient privacy that they try to restrict things they don’t need to.
JPL
@Martin: Same.. The number of locations where you can get the vaccine, increases daily. In Atlanta they are going to increase the daily amount of vaccine at Mercedes Benz arena to 7,000 a day.
Steeplejack
@debbie:
?
rikyrah
@Steeplejack:
Love the picture.
Mine was a simple table outside the pharmacy at the local supermarket.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Biden to order all states to make vaccine available to everyone by May Day
Bernie and Michael Moore must be in shock over how Biden keeps outflanking them from the left.
Just Some Fuckhead
@debbie: It’s probably less a function of being assholes and more a function of avoiding potential lawsuits. Obviously, YMMV.
UncleEbeneezer
@feebog: I’m getting mine (J&J) at Dodger Stadium tomorrow!
Bruuuuce
The better half and elder offspring got their first Pfizers here in Queens, NY on Wednesday; I get mine next Wednesday at Manhattan’s Javits Center. Younger offspring, at school in Allentown, PA, not so much. I hope they bring vaccinations to the campus before end of term.
narya
@WaterGirl: @Steeplejack: Yes, thank you Steeplejack. The essential tradeoff is that we must see folks regardless of their ability to pay (e.g., we must have a sliding fee scale) and in return we get a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate. There’s a bunch of other stuff–51% of our Board must be patients–but the whole program is targeted to folks who face barriers to care. Financial for sure, but also folks who live in areas (urban or rural) where there aren’t enough medical providers. I am very excited that the feds are using the FQHC program to roll out vaccines–the health center program serves nearly 30 million people a year.
trollhattan
After no success waitlisted at three hospitals, a childhood friend got his first jab at a boat launch on Lake Washington, courtesy of the City of Seattle. Needless to say, he’s hugely relieved, doubly so because he works in retail. My NH bro will be getting his second, soon.
Things do seem more positive than they have in a good long while.
JPL
@PsiFighter37: Schumer thinks that NY opens up 4/1.
Just Some Fuckhead
And they wonder why I don’t go into the office anymore.
Uncle Cosmo
Dollar stores happen to be excellent places to find food and drink items, cleaning supplies, and sundry other items at reasonable prices. I’ve even scored some damned interesting books at some. On my shopping expeditions I always include at least one dollar store on the circuit, where I frequently find items I’d be buying elsewhere, only cheaper.
(BTW you chose your nym well – it fits you to a T.)
Roger Moore
@Steeplejack:
I brought this up with coworkers earlier today as an important reason to get vaccinated. My stress level went down when I got my first shot and way down after my second.
mrmoshpotato
?Lolly lolly lolly get your vax shots here?
Steeplejack
@rikyrah:
Thanks. A shot’s a shot, wherever you get it!
Just Some Fuckhead
@Uncle Cosmo: Well if you ever decide to switch from being an asshole to a progressive, you might want to study up on dollar stores.
Mary G
I wanted to take a picture at the Anaheim convention center where I got my second shot, but they had NO PHOTOS signs all over and a volunteer what seemed like every 10 feet looking for something to do, so I didn’t try. It was so impressive, hundreds of people standing on their tape marks for social distancing, wearing their masks properly. I get an email from my local CVS every day telling me they have appointment slots available, so looks like there isn’t a huge demand by qualified people. Feeling great about all of it. Today is housemate’s and my immunity day (two weeks from second shot). We will still wear masks and distance outside, but the relief is massive.
@rikyrah: I know. Uncle Joe has been a godsend, and all the competent people he’s hired. Jubilation!
Kelly
According to Willamette Week when you account for vaccine refuseniks and increased supply we could be open to everyone over 16 on April 21st. Every refusenik moves me up another place in line;-)
Oregon May Have Enough Vaccines for All Willing Adults by April 21 – Willamette Week (wweek.com)
schrodingers_cat
@rikyrah: Can’t even sign up if you are younger than 65 and less than 2 preexisting conditions.
Steeplejack
@Mary G:
That’s a milestone! ? It had to be tough living with housemates who had to be out and potentially getting exposed.
Is the teen still potentially a vector?
The Moar You Know
@frosty: You’re gonna have a really rough time having gotten the first in MS. Hope you’re a California resident.
Argiope
As usual I’m late to the thread, but vaccinating people is so rewarding. I gave a second Pfizer dose yesterday to a 69 year old who was getting only his 2nd shot since he was nine years old. Serious needle phobia. I talked him through it, letting him know he was not at all silly because he should see me on an airplane when turbulence hits. I know all about situationally-mediated panic attacks. Asked him how we should do it to make him the most comfortable, learned that gloves weren’t a trigger but seeing the needle was, so suggested he close his eyes after my gloves were on and I’d talk him through it, no surprises but no view of the syringe. After it was done he was so relieved and grateful. I told him how much he inspired me by doing that really hard thing with so much grace. Really, most days it’s kind of routine now, but some days it’s a little miracle. Lots of grandparents excited about finally being able to see their grandchildren—and one lady who said “screw the grandkids, I finally get to go play golf!” Loved her–it was clear she was joking. Kind of.
Subcommandante Yakbreath
@Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!): Thanks very much; I’ll give it a try.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Argiope: Thank you for sharing a very heartwarming story. You are the hero.
geg6
It does not feel that way around here, sadly. John will have his second jab on Monday but I can’t find one anywhere for miles and miles around. I’m getting pretty anxious at this point.
ReadWrite
The much hyped MA vaccination program is FUBAR. As an Old Person (TM) I should have gotten it by now, but they turned it into Soviet Union Retail. You’re supposed to sign up online. But, 180+ sites and no appointments available at any of them. This has been true for *weeks*. Apparently they get a bit of vaccine a few times a week, and make a few thousand slots “available.” If you happened to be checking at the right time (or are one of the people who obsessively check every 5 minutes), you *might* see some open slots. But when you get done with the 5-step, 10 minute process and filling out the full page form, it tells you sorry, no appointments available, try again later. Oh, and it throws away all that stuff you entered (even though “we require cookies”), so you really are starting over. At the back of “waiting room” queue, which can run over an hour. The web pages have lovely plumage, though. It was all done by graphic designers and no process experts were involved.
Franz Kafka would feel right at home.
What’s weird about this is that they boast of 20+% of the state having gotten shots (that’s over a million people), but if that can’t be right if they’re only making about 10K shots a week (by my reckoning) available through the web site that the majority of us are supposed by using. Seriously, WTF?
GregMulka
I’m assuming my fuckwit governor is going to route all available does down to the bootheel or some other dumb shit.
Ruckus
Got my shots at the VA and between the two, the VA doubled the amount of vaccines they could give out in one day by adding a second area next to the original area. It even looks military, they built a tent facility next to the building that had been the only place to get stuck. They may be going to use the tent for all covid vaccinations as the building that I got stuck in was used prior for something else and I’d bet they want to get back to using it for it’s original intent.
I’d also bet that a lot more people will be able to get shots over the next month or two. The vaccines seem to be getting reasonably available, the places to get a shot seem to have learned how to pump people through, so now it’s likely the hold up is a reasonable way to get people in a chair next to someone with a syringe and a supply.
Argiope
@Just Some Fuckhead: nah, the real heroes are the frontline folks before we had vaccines. I’m just coming off the clinical bench to volunteer to get us all past this. I’m getting as much as I’m giving from the experience.
JMS
Well, no, actually. Not much sign here in the Philly burbs. That’s due to an unfortunate confluence of things. Our per capita allotment from the Pa DOH has undergone a lot of scrutiny because it’s been noticeably a lot lower than other parts of the state, but the DOH can’t seem to explain it. Maybe it’s Fetterman’s anti Wawa bias in action. Meanwhile Philadelphia gets its supply separately from the feds and can’t share it with non city residents even though a lot of us usually get our medical care in the city. So there have been no mass vaccinations here and there is a 130k+ waitlist at the county health department, which only seems to have enough vaccine supply to do 5000 shots a week. And that’s with only 1A eligible people signed up. It literally took over 4 weeks to get through everyone who signed up on Jan 13 and they are now working on people who signed up on Jan 14! I think think things will get better to the point where we don’t actually have to wait 26 weeks to get through the current backlog, but I expected it would happen already. The county govt is pretty good (pretty decent level of transparency) but they aren’t getting enough supply yet and nobody else is filling the gap in large numbers.
frosty
@The Moar You Know: Nope, PA resident. MS had an in-state residency requirement but like the pharmacist said “We’re kind of lax here.”
Maybe 29 Palms will be a little more lax than Orange or Ventura. At any rate, I figure it’s better to have one dose now than two in June…. when PA might have its shit together.
Ascap_scab
I got my first Pfizer today. Had to drive 90 miles to get it. I’ll get the second one on April Fools day. Put me down for a Penelope.
RobertDSC-Mac Mini
My mother has been working the phones on my behalf and was able to get me an appointment for my first Pfizer jab this weekend. My essential worker status at a company that is part of the Defense Industrial Base is enough proof that was requested.
I’m excited and relieved.
JAM
My husband and I got our first shot Tuesday in OK. We are in the over-40 group with conditions. We actually got our invitations a few weeks ago but it took a long time to snag appointments. That has been the main complaint here but OK is actually near the top for getting people vaccinated.
burnspbesq
Texas is FUBAR, and will be so indefinitely. My home county has a wait list over 150,000 people, so OF COURSE Abbott saw this as a perfect time to expand eligibility. I got massively lucky with CVS; second shot a week from today, 45 miles away.
SWMBO
@Jay C: Dead thread but here goes.
The local fire department is quietly going around giving homebound folks their vaccines. They do the caretaker as well. It is through the county health department and you have to call. There is no point in trying to schedule this online. They have a dedicated shift that goes out and does this. They have one shift with extra personnel that makes the rounds. It is definitely by appointment only.