Ruth and I are looking forward to going to California when Magnus Strongbeard is born. He’s due the end of March. We need to have the Covid-19 vaccine so we can safely make the trip. We received our first dose on Monday.
We spoke to Michael and Kate over the week-end. Things are moving forward as planned. Mike is modifying his final “go bag” because the site where Magnus is scheduled to be born has a private suite for each mother. Michael gets to move in with Kate, but once he’s in, he’s in for the duration. They’ll check-in as a couple and leave as a family of three.
Getting our first dose was a bit of a challenge. About a week ago, I went to a website that was scheduling vaccines in Orlando. That’s about an hour drive for us. After several attempts throughout the day and evening, the first appointment I could get was March 1. While I was happy to have an appointment on the books, I hoped to locate something sooner. A couple of days later I discovered a site in Clermont that was providing the vaccine on a first-come, first-served basis. It was a drive-through distribution. We made the forty-five minute drive, but we were shut out.
Last Saturday I read a local site was going to schedule a small number of vaccines for Monday and Wednesday of this week. You had to register on line and log-in on Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. My computer was locked and loaded, but when I pushed the button at the appointed time, my effort was rejected. I found out later that the 420 timeslots filled in nineteen seconds.
On Sunday afternoon we overheard a couple speaking of driving to Clermont’s first-come, first-served site. After hearing the details, we decided to give the drive-in site another shot on Monday. This time we made it.
If you are considering such an adventure, here’s a bit of advice.
- Pee before you leave. After our forty-five minute drive, we waited in the drive-through line for three hours before we made it to the distribution tent.
- Fill up with gas. Ruth drove and discovered after we got into the maze of cars we were low on gas. The “you are about to run out” gas warning light turned on about two-hours into our wait.
- Bring a book to read. No matter how happy you are to arrive at your destination, waiting for three hours with little to do can get boring. I did take the time to answer emails and explore Facebook on my phone. Ruth went Pinteresting.
- Take a snack if you wish and something to drink. If you drink, make sure you have paid close attention to suggestion number one.
- Thank everyone. There are police, medical personnel, and volunteers at these sites. Without these people, nothing gets done.
After receiving the vaccine we were told we would receive a phone call to schedule our second dose. It’s due on February 1. Everyone involved in the process has been helpful and patient. We provided our names, address, and phone numbers. That’s it.
While it’s unfortunate that we find ourselves in this predicament, Ruth and I are grateful we are working our way out in warp speed fashion. Although mistakes have been made, I believe everyone has been sincere while searching for a way to develop a vaccine and deliver it in a timely fashion. This time, being a senior has its advantages as we have been moved to the front of the line.