To The Vaccine

“There is no glory in illness. There is no meaning to it.” John Greene

It is safe to say that 2020 was a year like no other. In the early days of the virus, information was changing daily. At first, I too was on the fence when I learned the vaccine was going to be fast tracked. I try to take a more natural approach to health care. But as my father used to say about religion, we are people of science. I was tired of the quarantine and too at risk to take the surprisingly cavalier approach to Covid that many of my fellow humans did. I was getting the vaccine.

 The rollout of the vaccine was not easy in Los Angeles. There were stories of people paying lots of money to get them. The next group after health care workers were seniors who struggled with disappointment and frustration as the website crashed, vaccines ran out and appointments filled up quickly. It was much worse than trying to get Hamilton tickets. Vaccinate@la.com was a mess. I heard stories of people in other states who had actually  been sent appointments or called as opposed to filling out the same forms over and over only to be told that there were no appointments.

At one point the city stopped giving them. I could not get one. My friend had two appointments. I decided to try and use her extra one. It was at Dodger Stadium which at the moment is the world’s largest vaccination site. It is a drive through and you never leave your car. The BF waited five and a half hours for his vaccine two weeks before. I went very early in the morning and was nervous. I had made sure that they sometimes accepted walk ins and had a way to register in person. There was momentary confusion about the appointment not being in my name, but eventually they let me have it. I was in and out in forty minutes. 

I’m not sure if we are ground breakers or guinea pigs but the only thing I felt as the first shot went into my arm, was grateful.  The historical significance of that moment was not lost on me either. I found myself quite emotional thinking about all those who have died of COVID-19 and how many more lives around the world will be lost until the vaccine is available to everyone.

Stay safe,

JAZ