Doing the Right Thing: Getting the COVID Vaccine

A month ago, after my last blog, I made a call to my doctor to see if I should wait for the COVID vaccine knowing that people with underlying conditions under the age of 65 were not even included in phase 1c. Meanwhile Georgia was still having trouble getting through phase 1a.

He told me that if I could find a way to get vaccinated as soon as possible then do it. I didn’t want to cut in line when there were others who needed the vaccine, but quickly realized that I needed it just as much as anyone else thanks to cystic fibrosis.

Andrea and I decided to go to a clinic in Atlanta late in the day to see if they had extra vaccines. We initially asked the person at the front desk if there were extras and we were turned away. We asked if we could speak to a manager to find out when we could return and have a better opportunity to get a vaccine. We knew that we did not have an appointment and wanted people who did have appointments to get the vaccine because the purpose is to get as many frontline people and those over 65 vaccinated as soon as possible. We still believed that those with underlying conditions under 65 deserved to be vaccinated at the same time.

We explained that we had underlying conditions and would be willing to return if there was a better time to come. Andrea is both a cancer survivor and a multiple sclerosis warrior. Surprisingly, the manager came up to us and said, “Today is your lucky day!” They had a few extra vaccines that they did not want to go to waste. One of the fortunate things we did was that we went at the end of the day and several of their scheduled appointments did not show up.

Andrea and I received our Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. While we were thrilled to receive the vaccine, in some ways we were sad. We were two out of maybe six people in a space of several thousand feet. People were not showing up for their appointments. People were not getting the vaccine. That means that several vaccines would be discarded instead of going to those like me and Andrea who so desperately need it.

As far as side effects, the only glaring one I had after the first vaccine was a sore shoulder, which lasted a couple of days. I was a bit more lethargic than normal, but I recovered quickly. Andrea just had the sore shoulder. We both received the Pfizer booster three weeks later. Andrea had minimal side effects (sore shoulder and a few body aches), while I on the other hand had more severe ones. I had sweats and chills, a bit of dizziness, a sore shoulder, and some severe anxiety. About 48 hours later, all scary side effects were gone and were replaced by relief. Andrea and I are now fully vaccinated and while we don’t intend to make any drastic changes, we do feel more comfortable going into places with a mask on and we definitely feel some obligation to tell others to get the vaccine if they want it.

I am writing this blog to tell others that this vaccine is a good thing and that while recently the CDC is sending states recommendations that they should immediately expand vaccine eligibility to those over 65 years old and those 64 and under who have pre-existing illness, distribution is still very far behind. I will tell you that if you want to get the vaccine and are not technically eligible currently, you could still go to a clinic and ask if there is any availability. The worst they can say is no.

The way I look at it, COVID does not wait for us. Why should we wait for it?

Live your dreams and love your life.
Andy