Sunday, January 31, 2021

Vaccination Breakthrough


A rainy day in Atlanta today.  The big news, though, is I've scheduled an appointment for my second dose of the covid vaccine.

I got my first dose back on January 16 at the pharmacy of my local Krogers' supermarket.  However, they warned me then that they weren't taking appointments at that time for second doses, and that it would be up to me to make an appointment for myself.

They weren't sure of their supply, they explained, and didn't want to make appointments - in effect, a promise - that they couldn't keep.

Since my first dose, demand for a vaccination has far exceeded supply, and it's virtually impossible to schedule an appointment.  The Kroger web site for on-line scheduling is basically shut down, as is the site for their competitor, Publix (for some reason, you can only schedule on line). The Georgia DOH web site isn't much of a help either, as they're only taking appointments for first doses, not second. 

I see posts on social media from time to time that such-and-such pharmacy or clinic is taking appointments, but by the time I click over to their site, they're all booked up (probably because someone was spilling the beans on social media).

I was starting to wonder if I'd be able to get a second dose at all and if not, what then?  Wait a while and start over when supply is available and get a second "first" shot?  Just go with one dose and hope herd immunity protects me?  Lie and schedule another "first" dose for my second vaccination?  To add to my frustration, I couldn't find any reliable on-line guidance about what to do in my situation.

Then, this afternoon, I got an unsolicited, unexpected call from the Kroger pharmacy.  They said their records show I was due for my second dose on February 13 - would a 1:00 p.m. time slot work for me?  First, "yes," and second, "thank you." It's only logical that they would follow up - they have my records after all - but I hadn't expected logic or efficiency to be a factor in this process.

So one less thing to worry about.  I'm scheduled for my second dose and after that should be reasonably confident that I won't get seriously sick from the covid pandemic.

No comments: