Vaccines

I’m not sure if this is a synchro or not. But here it is.

Since late December 2020 and January 2021, Covid vaccinations in Florida have been open to residents 65 and over. Our ridiculous trump-loving governor, Ron DeSantis, didn’t have much of a distribution plan. It has been as screwed up as his lockdowns and quarantines. Our local Publix supermarket started offering vaccinations in late January, I think it was. But their website is awful, with the portal now open 3 times a week but hey, you have to get there at 7 a.m. and oh, well, sorry, the appointments are all taken half an hour after you sign on.

We’ve signed up with the county sites in the county, through the health department, through any and every venue we found. I figured we would get in somewhere when it was right for us.

I read somewhere that Walgreen’s would start giving vaccinations and opened an account with them to stay on top of the news. But there was never any news. Same with Sam’s Club, WalMart. Meanwhile, friends and family were getting vaccinated. Then, one day last week I read that CVS would be vaccinating people and went to their site.

For Florida, there were two choices in our county – Clewiston, a town halfway across the state, and Belle Glade, about a thirty minute drive west. I went on their website, chose Belle Glade, 10:30 and 10:45 a.m. on March 3 and -for the 2nd shot- March 24. The signup was easy, no designated time to try to get an appointment, and their website is straightforward.

Initially, I thought I wanted Moderna because it didn’t require the deep, deep freeze temps that Pfizer does. But one advantage of time is that you hear from other people who have been vaccinated. And most frequently I’ve heard about reactions to the 2nd Moderna vaccine: chills, fever, utter exhaustion, no appetite. The after effects usually disappear within 24-36 hours. I haven’t heard about anything like that with the 2nd Pfizer vaccine.

Since we got out appointments, Johnson & Johnson has won FDA emergency approval for their single shot vaccine, certainly my preference now. But hey, I’m willing to take any vaccine. I just want to put this pandemic behind us.

Ironically, trump and melania were vaccinated before they left the White House and now he – Chief Conman, Chief Hypocrite, Chief Liar – recommends that everyone get vaccinated.

Go figure.

We got our first Pfizers. Mildly sore arm. That’s it for side effects. Our second is today,  March 24. Mildly sore arm. Nothing more. I haven’t grown two heads yet. Or an extra arm. Or a tail.

If there’s a synchro here, it’s about timing and even that may be stretching the definition. But oh well. Stay tuned.