Over age 65 became eligible the morning of January 23. Within three hours, my husband and I both had appointments for January 25 at the Petco superstation drive through, which was the main non-institution vaccine site at that time. I forget exactly what system we used, but it changed within a couple of days and has changed again.
Then some storms swept in, and we were cancelled and automatically rescheduled for January 28. That appointment was successful, although we ended up walking in instead of drive through due to long waits. We did not get automatically scheduled for our second shot (due to system change, I guess). But by the afternoon we were able to get second dose appointments online for February 28.
Then that appointment was cancelled due to shortages and rescheduled for February 4. Then that appointment was cancelled due to weather and rescheduled for February 6.
Fortunately that appointment held.
We were just the victims of bad timing and UCSD shortages of Moderna. In the meantime, our friends were going elsewhere and finishing their doses.
My husband had his second shot of Pfizer early this week so his 2 week wait is on. I have my second Moderna on the 31st AND my son in vet school gets his first shot of Moderna tomorrow! (Agriculture worker - since he is doing some work at the hospital).
I signed up on the county website, as well as on a couple chain pharmacy websites. The county contacts people on a first come first served basis (based on date of initial registration on their website) when they become eligible. The pharmacies open appointments a couple days in advance of appointment openings. Michigan opened to 50+ with underlying conditions March 8 and to all 50+ March 22, so I was set to try to score an appointment right about now.
As it turned out, both H and I were contacted by our hospital systems already, without any kind of registration. H got an email about 2 weeks ago, telling him he can sign up. It gave him an appointment at a community clinic for last Friday. I got an email from my hospital system last Sunday, telling me itās time to sign up - and it offered me appointment slots at a community clinic this past Tuesday.
I donāt know why we got in early, but our hospital systems have all of our relevant health information. We didnāt try to cut in line, and we didnāt misrepresent ourselves. The community clinics were huge, and they pumped people through really quickly. I guess they must have needed to open it up a bit in order to fill all of the appointments.
For Bay Staters out there (or as some of us call ourselves, Massholes), wife had her first Moderna shot at Gillette this morning. From the time she left the car to her return to the car, 30 minutes tops. For the record, her fitness watch recorded 2100 steps! Except for the 15 minute wait at the end, she was probably on the move the entire time. Lines appeared long, but never stopped moving.
DD was able to place her name on a vaccine on-call list with her local Kroger pharmacy, to be used if they have no-shows. DD is 33. Today, she received a call from Kroger, but she was on a work phone call and not able to pick up. Unfortunately, by the time she called Kroger back, they had already filled the spot. The bright side is that she knows Kroger is working through the on-call list, and hopefully she will get another call back soon.
I got an email yesterday from an organization I work with that we were considered 1b2 group and āare now eligible to get a vaccination.ā Well, 1b2 was open on February 8, so 6 weeks ago. I actually was part of 1b3 (a double dipper in that group too by age and medical condition) so already received my first shot and am scheduled for second. 1b4 opens this Sunday, dumping 2.5 million people into the eligible categories. I have also received emails from some of the medical groups I signed up with telling me to make an appointment.
I think this is now a boulder building up steam going downhill. The state opened several new drive thru clinics today which will do 2000 (each) per day. My only friends who were having trouble finding appointments were in the Boulder area, and one (and her son with Down syndrome) received there first shots today and will cancel the appointments they had for April 2, leaving one friend in the 1b3 group still looking for a clinic (but she admits sheās being picky and wants one in her area).
When my H got his vaccines, especially the second one, he was told that he may be tired and cranky. He wasnāt sure how heād know as he is always tired and cranky,
We live in Orange County, CA. My DH was eligible starting on Monday (63 with 2 qualifying med conditions). He registered on the county site, got an email yesterday that he could make an appointment and he will get his first Pfizer shot Sunday morning. I had also been checking CVS and RiteAid but no openings in our area yet.
Got my first in CT today, was in and out in 32 minutes. My physician daughter told me to keep moving my arm today to help work the deltoid to minimize soreness. I didnāt understand via text what motion she was wanting me to make with the arm. She said to lift my elbow away from my body liking I would be sniffing my pits! Okay then, Iāll do it.
Yippee! Yippee! Yippee! Our son received his first vaccine today and is planning to come visit after his second shot! Weāre still planning to drive out to see him and his new house mid-May, but we get to see him sooner! I donāt think I could be any happier.
I signed up on the first pre-registration list through the county January 27th, the first day it was available. In Maryland, one must sign up separately for individual hospital systems, county health department, pharmacies, and mass vac sites. Iām on seven different lists, plus checking five other providers who havenāt set up pre-registration. Until last Saturday, only one mass vac site allowed pre-registration. All others involved searching for spots online in the middle of the night. Now one can pre-register for mass sites if youāre in an eligible group.
Iām a 1c in Maryland, 16-64, with multiple serious health conditions including active cancer treatment, congestive heart failure and pulmonary problems (both chemo-related). In other states, Iām a 1a.
Tonight a dear friend called a Covid Angel she knows, who was able to get me an appointment for Moderna this coming Monday, a six-hour round trip away.
The inequities in this entire process are staggering. The vaccine hunters and people who are helping parents and family members get vaccinated are saving lives. Kudos to all of you.
Well dang @CountingDown! I just said there was no one I was happier for than @ChoatieMom. But Iām going to have to say that itās a tie! Iām so happy for you!
The waitlist for no-show spots definitely works at Kroger in my area. (See post 1026.) One day later DD got called again, and yesterday she got dose 1 of Moderna. SIL is next on the list.
@CountingDown yay that you got an appointment! I didnāt think Maryland was big enough that you could make a three hour drive one way and still be in the state!
I know someone who drove to another stateā¦and not a neighboring oneā¦because they had available appointments and didnāt require or check residency. I think people are doing what they need to doā¦if they want the shot.
@thumper, weāre north of DC and Ocean City, MD is 2:45 away. Itās 5:20 to cross the state, per Google! If we could have gotten vaccinations in PA, thatās 1:25, and NoVa burbs are 30 minutes. The states around here are pretty clamped down on residency. We know some MD friends who got vaccines at RiteAid in PA, but by the time I heard about it, RiteAid had fixed that bug.
