So you wonder about getting vaccinated? Don't think the right one for you is out there? Do your research! Listen to the Doctors and the health care professionals. They will give you the basics of what, how, and where, and then you, dear reader, can do the rest yourself. (Hey, if I can, you can too.)
I knew what I wanted to have put into my arm. The only thing was when I could get it! With vaccines (in general) in short supply, I knew I had to be careful so as not to a) Not get the vaccine I wanted, b) not wait forever, and c) not have to personally recreate the Paris-to-Dakar rally in order to find a location where A and B could successfully be completed.
On Tuesday, March 9, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who in my honest opinion has handled the COVID-19 pandemic pretty well for not having any Federal help, until about 60 days ago (by the time you read this at least) was rumored to be extending the list of residents eligible for vaccination beginning the next day (Wed., March 10). So, earlier that morning, I was able to get on the website of one of the vaccine providers, Thrifty White Drug, the regional drug store chain. As I was perusing the morning reads of various news sources, I came across an advance copy of a graphic of what the Governor was going to say later that day. I would finally be able to get my vaccination shot, at last. Not quite as big a deal as my wife, whose shot was administered at the TCO Performance Center (a.k.a. 'the practice facility' for the Minnesota Vikings) but hey, any port in a storm, as it were. I'm not picky. Just want a vaccine, that's all.
Looking at the list of locations, none of them had what I was looking for: The Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine who's major selling point (other than its just as good as the others) is that it's a one-and-done vaccine. No second trip to beautiful who-knows-where to get that booster shot. And, it won't goof with your messenger RNA (as both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are designed to do.)
The next two questions were somewhat intertwined: When? and Where? Thrifty White Drug operates 94 locations in 5 Midwest and Western states, so I could have gone nearly anywhere. Why Thrifty White (as opposed to, say, Walmart, Sam's Club or even a Hy-Vee market)? Easy to find appointments, easy sign up, easy to find (mostly in small and medium size towns) and easy to get in and out of afterwards. Also, I knew the care would be better. Small town staffs are normally that way, as opposed to the rushed feeling of the larger markets.
So, which one did I choose? After all that, I wound up in beautiful Downtown Moose Lake, about 120 miles NNE of Minneapolis along I-35, en route to Duluth. They had the best mid-day times, the right vaccine, and the slots open. So, while waiting for Walz to make his pronouncement, away I went and signed up for a shot. 'Here's hoping nothing goes wrong,' I muttered to myself.
Wednesday, March 10 dawned cloudy with a storm front moving in from SW to NE. We (wife and I) left about 3 hours ahead of the scheduled appointment time, taking a little longer than the 1 hour, 40 minutes normal running time for the 112-mile one-way trip. We arrived just about 45 minutes early. Kind of glad we did, too, as it rained all the way up north. But that's not the only weather concern we had as I went in (wife stayed in the car. Smart girl I married.)
The line to check in for your COVID vaccination ran the entire length of the store! All four aisles, from the back (where the prescription counters are) to the front door and back again, and again... I was surprised at the number of people in this little pharmacy! After about 45 minutes, I finally checked in, and had been ready for the shot for so long that I almost felt like one of the locals by the time the nurse practitioner came out for me.
'C'mon in,' she said. She didn't have to tell me twice. An efficient little operation; a machine which doles out the vaccine in pre-measured doses, ready for inoculation. Neat little device, that one. Injection done, card (pre-printed) issued, and out the door I went. 'There's no room in here to sit, so go back to your car and wait 15 minutes,'
Hey, who am I to argue? So, back to the car to wait it out. By now, the storm front has caught up with us, and the shower from before has turned into an all-out deluge. On March 10th. In Moose Lake. Waited out the 15 minutes, then started back on the road (with a quick lunch stop at McDonald's).
Of course, by the time we returned to the Cities, we had meteorological Armageddon going on; Snow on the far northwest side, thunderstorms where we were, and tornadoes (radar-specified) to the south, all within a 50-mile radius of our happy home. We were just happy to have made it there...and back. In one piece. Vaccinated. Finally.
Bring on the rest of 2021. This couple is ready to go...
