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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
When a local doctor’s office cancelled our second Pfizer vaccination appointment due to lack of vaccine on hand, my husband and I, as seniors, were frantic. We scanned the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) for any nearby openings within the recommended time frame, but none were available. However, I just happened to access the website of a large healthcare system in our state and discovered that this system was partnering with the National Guard and other volunteers to stage a Monday through Saturday drive-through vaccination site in a neighboring county where second dose Pfizer vaccine walk-ins were permitted, as well as first doses by appointment. We jumped into our vehicle, drove 30 miles and ultimately joined a long and winding queue in a football stadium parking lot. After a two-hour procession, we steered our Silverado under a huge tent, rolled up our sleeves and received our final vaccinations. My husband of 41 years chuckled when he could see that I was having difficulty suppressing tears of relief and joy. (I couldn’t help it—after a year of anxiety and isolation—we are finally free to dream of the future and reboot our lives!) Nevertheless, I remain concerned for the elderly and the underprivileged who are struggling to locate available vaccines, make appointments and find transportation to vaccination centers. Government officials and policy makers need to work relentlessly to ensure that all citizens have equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.
March 19, 2021
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Went for my Covid testing for work today and took a pic of the testing tent. A woman with her two little girls was a head of me -- so cute but no masks and running around which kind of made me nervous. It was strange standing in the line for testing, felt so surreal. Have seen the testing tents on the news and in photos so often it was weird to actually be in a line for one of them. There were circles with the Husky symbol on the ground to keep people in line 6 ft apart but the line went pretty quick because we had to pre-register and basically just show our IDs to the check-in nurses through the plexiglass. The whole things was pretty straight forward – they called you up, verified you were in the system, had you go to a chair, turn it around and sit in it. After a while a nurse covered head to tow in a gown, gloves, disposable pants, mask, hair net and face shield comes up to you with long stick, says this is going deep in you nasal passages on both sides then plunges it in. It is a shock when she does it -- definitely hurts to suddenly have a stick shoved up your nose, and I joked with her that I was really awake now It gave me a mild headache afterwards but the whole thing was super quick so I wouldn't hesitate to have it done again. (...)
August 26, 2020