New Yorkers are competitive about everything! Restaurant reservations! Parking spots! Even Covid-19 vaccines!
I have a couple of friends (along with myself) that have turned getting the jab into a competitive game. We want the vaccine for the right reasons, but we want it ASAP and geographically convenient. Is that too much to ask for??
I know people living in rural areas and small towns have no idea what I'm talking about. How do I know this? I grew up in Kansas in a town of 1,200. In February 2021, I called the county health nurse where I grew up to ask about an appointment for my mother. I identified myself and asked if Mom could get on the VAX list. "Of course she can Tammy! I'll give her a call in a couple weeks." The jab happened, just like that!
A few weeks later, my sister informed me agricultural workers (AKA farmers) were eligible. I excitedly contacted my younger brother. I had the impression he was slightly reticent to jump on the vaccine band wagon. So, me being the older sister, decided he needed a virtual kick in the pants. A few calls and texts later, he reluctantly said I could make him an appointment. I held my tongue and gladly placed the call. I identified myself and could hear the puzzlement in the nurse's voice. "Didn't your Mom already get the vaccine, Tammy?"
"Yes, but now I'm making an appointment for my little brother. I know. It's silly, me calling, considering he's 20 miles away and I'm 3,000!"
She paused and chuckled. "Oh yes, I know him. I'll give him a call soon."
THAT WAS IT! Done. Over. He walked into the clinic three weeks later and was back in his pick-up truck before the engine got cold.
SO: Here's my Covid Vaccine Saga! I didn't get "VAX" fever for myself until mid-February. I heard some of my colleagues had not only scored one jab, but both! I'd been on leave from work as a flight attendant, so I was out of the loop and not paying much attention to anything!
One of my friends has her pulse on everything, including all things Covid-related. First off, she's in her 50's and doesn't fit any of the criteria for getting the shot early. She just collects information to dispense to others. She turns me on to various websites and phone numbers. I get my name on a stand-by list for "ready-to-be-discarded" vaccines. I get a confirmation text. I am 199,243rd on the list. I kid you not!
I set criteria for myself. I'll travel to all five boroughs of New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. I wanted to keep my travel time below two hours, regardless if it's a drive or subway ride. The NY Vaccine Finder Website is populated with about 55 location sites. Fifty-two of the sites have the word "Fully Booked" next to them. I look at a map of New York State to see where all the cities and towns are. I've never heard of Potsdam, but it has vaccines. I consult Google Maps. It's over a six hour drive! Another town is offering shots at their airport! How efficient is that! But I don't want to expose myself even more to the virus by getting on a plane to get the vax! There's something wrong with that logic, right??
As I hit "refresh" on my screen, good things happen! The Javits Center in mid-town Manhattan changes from "Fully Booked" to "Available." I punch away. March 5: 2:45 pm, two appointments. I press continue. The slot disappears. Another date opens with three time slots. I pray and press. They disappear! I do this for 30 more minutes. It's like Whack-A-Mole and I am losing!
My brother calls, trying to get sympathy because his arm is a little sore from the vaccine appointment that I made for him! I say nothing and take a break for the rest of the day from vaccine hunting.
Next morning, I wake up and decide to broaden my horizons, so to speak. Syracuse pops up as a vaccine site. My daughter attends college there. Let's think abut that: Mid-March in Syracuse, NY. Is there any possibility it won't be snowing? Oh, what the hell! I secure the appointment in two weeks and cross my fingers
A few days later, my husband and I are heading out the door to visit his dad. He admires punctuality above all else. Not surprisingly, so does my husband. I notice a text from my always-informed girlfriend.
Massive vaccine slots at Javits! Get on your computer!
"Eric! OPEN THE DOOR! I can get you an appointment!" His age group had recently opened up.
He grudgingly unlocks the door and I scramble to get my i-Pad and phone fired up to do some tag teaming.
"Text your dad. Tell him we'll be a few minutes late and WHY!" Of course, he already had.
While I'm securing an appointment, I decide to "improve" on my own vax status. Instead of a four hour drive, I'll make it a short subway ride!
My fingers fly over the keyboard, answering questions meant for my husband. Any optional questions get ignored. I get the phone going to secure my appointment for the same time slot.
SCORE! Two appointments in two days at the Javits Center!
An aside here--my husband commented while we were in line for 90 minutes, that he felt like we were in the sci-fi movie, Logan's Run. I had to agree.
Fast forward 2 1/2 weeks. My husband and I are in Florida and getting ready to return to NY for our next shot. I lament in my yoga class that I have to get on a plane to get the shot.
"Oh, no you don't," replies a fellow yogi. "I got my first one in Indiana and my second one down here in Florida."
"What??!!" It has been stressed over and over that we all must get the second shot where the first one is administered.
She gives me a couple of phone numbers. Well, one was for the Indiana Health Department, so that didn't help. While web-surfing, CVS Pharmacy popped up. "Do you need a first or second vaccine?" it inquires. Bingo!!
The closest available appointment is a three hour drive. I grab it. The next morning, I get back on the website and Lake Okeechobee pops up, a 1 1/2 hours drive. On the map, this lake is huge! I've been wanting to see it, plus I love saying "Okeechobee." I punch away on my keyboard and get awarded a time slot. My husband kept his NY appointment, so I am solo. Four days later: Road Trip! I pack my beef jerky and Life is a Highway blasts from my stereo! My second vaccine will soon be in my rearview mirror!
April 2021 rolls around. I mark my calendar and set the alarm for the morning my kids qualify to get their vax appointments. I get my daughter one in Syracuse, a few miles from her apartment. My son's criteria was: ASAP and any one of the boroughs.
"You have an appointment tomorrow." I pause for effect, "in Staten Island." He was thrilled! Then he google mapped the location. Let's just say if I write a blog about his vaccine day, it will be entitled: Xander's Vaccine Odyssey Into The Outer Depths of Staten Island.
May we all cast our masks aside by 2022!
