Vaccination for COVID-19 - Part 1

I live in Jacksonville, Florida.  We have our moments, especially yesterday when the national news on our local television channel was interrupted by the MAJOR BREAKING ANNOUNCEMENT that Urban Meyer, former college football coach, had been hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Hoorah!!! (I honestly don't care, but lots of people do)

The highlight of my day yesterday was receiving the first of two vaccinations for COVID-19.  The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is administered in 2 doses, 3 weeks apart.  I'm not a fan of needles, but I am concerned about my health and that of my family, so I was happy for the chance to get the vaccine.

Jacksonville, like many cities and states, has struggled with the distribution of this vaccine.  Here, the city began by offering vaccinations at a downtown convention center, by appointment only.  People 65 and over as well as front line medical workers were eligible to be vaccinated.  The immediate problem was getting an appointment; the website crashed, and when it was up and running, the available appointments were taken almost immediately.  Appointments for the following week opened on Thursday at 5 p.m. and were gone within an hour.  It became apparent quickly that more options were needed.

The city opened two more sites for those eligible: two Senior Centers, one on the "northside" and one of the "southside".   Each location would have about 500 vaccines per day to distribute.  For this option, no appointments were needed, but the same age and occupation restrictions applied.  In what I thought was a genius move, the vaccines were distributed according to one's birth month:  Monday = January and February, Tuesday = March and April, Wednesday = May and June, Thursday = July and August, Friday = September and October, Saturday = November and December.  Wow!!!  That actually makes sense!  Where am I?!?!

Having tried without success to get an appointment at the convention center, I decided to try the southside location.  The hours for vaccinations were 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  On the first day, people showed up at 6:30 a.m. to get in line.  My birth month is May, so I had two days to follow the progress and the stories about this process.  I had no intention of standing in line for hours and hours, and I didn't want to fight the crowds.  Plus, this journey involved my number one nemesis and fear: PARKING.  OMG!  Where will I park?  

My concern for my health and that of my family overcame my trepidation and I drove my sorry self to the place at 2:00 p.m.  There was a comforting presence of police directing us to parking spots, and stopping traffic for us to walk across the street.  These officers were not only helpful, they were kind, and they had a sense of humor!!!  They were lovely.  Of course, having been stuck in my house during the pandemic, when I do get out, I am compelled to engage EVERYONE in conversation, whether they like it or not.  

END PART 1.  PART 2 COMING SOON.  

Comments

  1. Marian BeamanJanuary 15, 2021 at 6:34 PM

    Good for you, Victoria!

    I hope to get my first shot soon. The convention center seems hopeless. We've tried. Maybe I need to go to a senior center on Thursday, July being my birth month. Wish me luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VictoriaJanuary 16, 2021 at 6:20 AM

      Marian, good luck to you and yours! As always, my best wishes to you and thanks for your support and encouragement.

      Delete

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