My 1st Dose!

This prick got pricked. That’s right I got the first dose of the Covid Vaccine today.

I became eligible to register for an appointment last Wednesday (March 31, 2021) and at 1 am I had made an appointment for April 2, 2021 at a State Vaccination Site at a Mall 6 towns away.

It was quick and easy to make an online account, answer some medical questions and book my first Vaccine appointment – all in all it was about 10 minutes. I received several e-mail confirmations and reminders. The only thing  I didn’t like that you weren’t told which vaccine you would be getting.

Today, I drove to the Mall 6 towns away and found the Mall with no issue, but there was only 1 small “Vaccine” sign in the back of the Mall (you had to drive around the whole Mall to find it) by one of the entrances. Going inside there were 2 National Guardsmen asking when your appointment was and checking your ID. Then you went inside (it was in some sort of empty “Anchor Store”) to the registration where they checked your ID again (no one checked the QR Code that every e-mail sent said to make sure we had.)

After Registration I went right to the table where another National Guardsman took my ID and went onto the State’s Vaccine Website. The only thing he asked me was “Which arm do I want the shot in?” I told him and he went back to typing.

That’s when a non-National Guardsman came over to the table to give me the actual shot. He was pretty gross. His big belly hung-out of his shirt and he wheezed walking the few steps to the table and was out of breath when he asked me the medical questions and which arm I wanted the shot in. When he came to give me the shot I then got a whiff and he really smelled bad. I nearly vomited in my mouth (under my mask.)

Luckily, the shot was done quickly and the Band-Aide put on. He told me to wait 15 minutes in the observation area and to raise my hand if I felt sick. That’s when the National Guardsman gave me my Covid Vaccine Card and finally told me which Vaccine I was getting. He then told me when my next appointment was for (April 30, 2021.) I looked at the card and saw that the appointment time was for very early in the morning and not for around the same time as the one I had made myself (today) – which the Governor said would be done in a news conference.

I asked the National Guardsman if he could change the time as it was very early and I live 6 towns away and he said he couldn’t, but that I could when I got home. It’s nice to know that I would have to fix his mistake and hope to get the appointment time I wanted hours later when I was at home.

I then went to the observation area and took a picture of the back of my Vaccine Card (since you are not supposed to post a picture of the front of your Vaccine Card with all your personal details on it.) No one was around the observation area and I could have easily walked right our without waiting the 15 minutes, but I stayed.

All-in-all it took me about 40 minutes (including the 15 minute observation time) from when I entered until when I left. While that is pretty good considering I would still rate the overall experience a 2 out of 5 (with 5 being the best) since it was a little inefficient. T

The National Guardsman could have either asked me what time was good for me when making my 2^nd appointment or the 2^nd appointment could have been made (and the time chosen by me) while I waited the 15 minutes in the observation area.

The gross, smelly and sickly guy who actually gave me my Vaccine shot only added to the overall poor experience. I really hope I do not get him when I go back in 4 weeks.

If this had been back in December 2020 or January 2021 I would have given them a 3 out of 5 (because they were still working things out) but enough time has passed that everything should have been more smooth.

In the end I did change my appointment time a few hours later when I got home.