We had been very strictly quarantining for almost a year, awaiting our turn for vaccination. In February, we signed up in several counties to get our shots when the time came for group 1-B, over 65 year olds, and those with underlying health issues. It was somewhat discouraging because every place we signed up showed long, long waiting lists.
One day Sarah called and said a friend of hers told her that vaccines were being given at Eastfield College without appointments. We had driven over once before when she said the same thing, but the line was very long and there was no indication that they were taking people without appointments so we went back home without trying. I don’t think Rich really even wanted to go back and try again but we decided to take a chance. We drove up and there was no line out on the street like there had been the time before. The sign at the entry said “covid testing” so we weren’t even sure that they were administering vaccines. We drove right up with very few people in front of us. A staff person came to the car window and asked if we were there for covid testing or if we had appointments for the vaccine. We said no appointments but we were told we could come without one. She said, “It’s only for people 65 or older.” We said “We are both 66!” With that, she wrote on our windshield “no appointment, over 65” and told us to proceed! We couldn’t believe it!
We got to the first area and were asked for our IDs. A woman came back after awhile and asked me if I had ever been a patient at Parkland Hospital before. I said no. Apparently Parkland was administering the vaccines that day. She didn’t ask Rich anything but asked me some more identifying questions. After awhile we were moved up to another tent area (still in our car) and had to sit and sit and wait and wait. We had no idea what was going on. At one point she came back and asked me if I was working or retired. We were sure the people behind us were getting very irritated that we were holding up our line. There were several other lines next to us moving quite regularly and smoothly. It was all very puzzling but eventually she came back and gave me my paperwork, had both of us sign releases and told us to go on to the next stop. I asked what the delay had been and she said she had to enter me as a new patient and it takes awhile. At that moment we didn’t even think to ask why she hadn’t had to enter Rich as a new patient as well.
We drove to the next checkpoint and were looking at the little cards they’d given us when I realized the reason they hadn’t asked Rich any questions was that they had found someone with a similar name in their system and assumed it was him. His card said “Richard Wayne Byerly” with a birthdate in 1958. OMG. A nurse came to the window to get us ready for the vaccines so Rich told her that wasn’t him. This set a whole new dilemma into motion where she had to take all of his data again and walk way back across the parking lot to the check in area and re-do everything. So once again, we were holding up the line.
Eventually she came back to the car with another woman from the registration area and they had both of us sign paperwork again. I said I had already done mine and she stopped me and said I was not checked in so I needed to do it again. I made some slightly snarky comment about the woman who had checked us in not seeming to be on top of things and Rich kinda elbowed me to shut me up. LOL
After all of that confusion and small irritation, we were suddenly and easily vaccinated with the first dose of Pfizer. We had to sit for 15 minutes in the parking lot to make sure we didn’t have a reaction. While there, I asked the paramedic how long they were going to be open. He asked why and I said our elderly aunt lived right nearby and we were awaiting an appointment for her, too. He said “go get her right now and bring her right back.” So I called my aunt and told her to get ready, we went to pick her up and drove back through the whole process one more time with her. Thankfully it went much more smoothly!
No real side effects to speak of, just a little tiredness that day and a bit of a sore arm. Three weeks later, we all went back for dose #2 and had no worse side effects that time either. Rich and I have jokingly said we now feel invincible after all those months of worry. We are still being careful, masking in public, not eating inside restaurants, not gathering in crowds, but we have been able to see our family up close again and that is the most wonderful thing after a year of porch visits, yard visits, Zoom calls, and cancelled events. Thank goodness for science and a new administration that is working hard to deal with the pandemic!
Postcards from Retirement 