I did a lot of misccellaneous things yesterday, but the significant one was a trip to get my COVID vaccine booster. The vaccine is quite available - if you qualify - but it is not easy to get. Let me explain the three parts of that statement.
There are several web sites that will allow you to find places that are dispensing the COVID vaccine boosters; I think Google even provided some tailored search results. I knew I could get a booster at a pharmacy, so I did a search at the site for Bartell Drugs, a regional chain. No problem, it is easy to find the appointment page, but they do not offer walk-in or same-day appointments and the appointments for the next couple of days were already booked. Because of my travel to DC, I booked about a week out for 11 November.
To qualify (as I write this), one needs to have special needs such as a compromised immune syste, working with senior citizens, etc., or be 65 years or older. By now, the doses for kids 5-12 should be available, but that was still only a promise when I booked.
Finally, distribution of avaiable appointments is lumpy. I would normally go to Bartell Drugs in Redmond, or in Bellevue, but I had to go to Factoria, about a 25-minute drive. Not a big burden, but I was hoping for a 25-minute round-trip trather than an hour. I know. #FirstWorldProblems
Google Maps took me to the wrong "Bartell Drugs Factoria". I asked for my destination verbally and Google Maps took me to a Bartell Drugs store in Bellevue so I had to redirect when I got to the wrong destination. This would have been a real problem on mass transit, but I was driving, thus no big deal.
Once in the right place, I had arrived a bit early, so I wandered around after I checked-in. I had no particular shopping list, so I looked for some general needs. I was both surprised and not-surprised by the stocking problems. I found everything I needed (looked for), but maybe not exactly what I was looking for. Maybe I wanted gel-cap ibuprofen and they only had tablets or I wanted the 500mg and they only had the 200mg -- that kind of thing. There were some sections that looked depleted but I did not make note of what they contained. It is not like the shelves were bare, but some of the sections had gaps.
The pharmacist called me, I got my shot, and they gave me a bale of paperwork. Totally free. No questions about payment, costs, or insurance. I could probably go back tomorrow for a fourth shot (I am not recommending that - I state it simply to suggest that suppies are ample). I got a third Pfizer dose; I could have mixed it up with another version, but the pharmacist said that the general recommendation was to stay consistant, so I did. My physical reaction was nil - nothing.
Next morning, there was a little bit of soreness at the injection site, but only when I poked at it. And now, 24 hours later, even that is barely noticeable.
As of 5-Nov, I received notice that I am registered in Medicare, and I await my number so that I can book an annual physical and get a flu shot.
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