1. Our eldest got his first COVID-19 vaccination this weekend and guys, I just can’t say enough about what a difference having a coordinated rollout makes.
2. I was flabbergasted in January when the Biden team took office and we learned there wasn’t a vaccine distribution plan in the works. Flabbergasted…except not, you know? It was one of those deeply distressed but not exactly surprised kind of things.
3. So I was exceedingly grateful when the grownups took over and got to work figuring out how to vaccinate millions of Americans. We need to worry about the rest of the planet, too, but let’s tackle the U.S. first.
4. I got my first vaccination a couple of weeks ago in a small local pharmacy so there wasn’t much to it – sit in one of a handful of chairs, get your shot, sit back in your chair then poof! Done. This weekend was not that.
5. Once North Carolina opened vaccinations to anyone age sixteen and up I started scouting appointments for T-man. We ended up finding one at a clinic run in a coordinated effort by our county health department and Cone Health. After my little local pharmacy vaccination it was something to see.
6. They’d converted large unused warehouse spaces into a highly efficient and remarkably safe place to get vaccinations.
7. The ceilings were sky high – because, you know, warehouse – so it hardly felt like being indoors. We checked in at a front table and they sent us to one of the tables arranged around the perimeter of the room to answer vaccine related questions and schedule his second shot.
8. Then we followed a volunteer into another section of the warehouse where there were countless vaccination stations set up around the room. We met a very nice nurse who went over all the info then swipe, jab, BAM. Done.
9. Then we were pointed to another warehouse space. After confirming his vaccination card info they had us pass through a large empty area and into the final warehouse space for observation. This section had about a hundred chairs set up, six feet apart, each with a bagged timer hanging from the back. We sat for about twenty minutes before checking out.
10. The whole thing, top to bottom, maybe took forty-five minutes. As we were sitting there I looked around at the organization and countless volunteers making the whole thing possible and thanked my lucky stars. This is what can happen when adults put their minds to solving a crisis.
Wow you got individual timers! In our waiting area we had to share one wall clock. I knew you lived somewhere swanky.
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Swanky!! 😆😆 Did I mention the warehouse was located in the same area as the Cigar and Tobacco Outlet? 😂
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I got mine at a new large temporary facility built on a giant car park. 7 purpose built temporary wards with about 10 separate rooms in each. The unit has a recovery room and emergency doctor always on site. You drive into the car park. Shown where to park. Then someone comes to speak to you while you sit in the car. Then you are shown to your treatment ward. Seen by a nurse who checks your temp. If you pass you can enter the ward. Seen by another ward who asks the medical questions. Then taken to your cubicle where another nurse gives you the shot. You are then taken back to your car and asked to wait 15 minutes before you go. I was there less than 30 minutes. The place does about 5000 to 10000 vaccines a day 7 days a week. It’s a stunning system. It’s the one thing the government didn’t give to the private sector, just left it to the NHS. Funnily enough it’s the one thing that’s worked.
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That is brilliantly designed and executed. You have to love seeing the people who really stepped up to the plate.
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I wish I could say the same for Public Health here in Austin. They have bumbled the process horribly. I got both shots at a pharmacy which was a smooth as silk. There are still 200,000 on the Austin Public Health waiting list. Most from 1A and 1B leftovers.
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I am so sorry to hear this, John. We’ve also had some federally run clinics pop up nearby in Greensboro and Durham. FEMA had a clinic about 20 minutes from here, too. Are there any federal coordination efforts in your state?
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Nope. As you can imagine our Republican governor is not a favorite with Biden group. Texas gets its allocation and then distributes it. The problem has been not enough shots.
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Well, if I’m honest your Republican governor isn’t a favorite of mine either 😆 but I still want Texas immunized! I really hope they get a handle on this soon.
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I think I could have guessed Abbott was not high on your list. 😂
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That sounds much like my vaccination experience. Our three-county area had a website set up where I signed in, giving pertinent information (like age), and when my group was eligible they emailed me with a link to the website to schedule an appointment. From there on, it was precisely the same as what you described. All that organization was very comforting.
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It was, wasn’t it? It makes me feel almost hopeful.
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I am positively amazed at the way things can be done with intelligent minds at work. Yay for getting vaccinated.
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A big time yay for sure. 🙂
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What a difference and so glad to read this
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Thanks, Beth. It sure is.
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That’s wonderful!
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I’m so very grateful.
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💖👍
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