One Down, One to Go

I have been getting a lot of spam calls on my cell phone lately, so when it rang late Thursday afternoon, I almost didn't answer.

"Hello?" I said, expecting to hear, "Don't hang up!  We have been trying to reach you about your credit card..."

Instead, a voice said, "Hi, this is Sydney from the Louisville Health Department.  Is this Sharron?"

Every day that I volunteered last week, I had to put my name down for contact tracing, so I figured I'd learn that someone I worked with had tested positive for Covid.  

"Have you gotten your vaccine yet?" she asked.

"No," I replied.

"We have some extra doses, and we're reaching out to all of the people who got their 40 hours. We have a vaccine for you if you can be here by 5:30."

"I'm leaving now!" I replied and hung up the phone.  "Hey Kirk," I shouted downstairs, "guess who's getting her first vaccine!"

I threw on my rain boots and a coat and hopped into my van for the 20 minute ride to Broadbent Arena.  When I got to the volunteer check in entrance, the doors were locked, but a man came to open them for me.  

"I got a call to come get a vaccine," I said.

"Are you a 40?" he asked.

"I got my 40 hours on Wednesday,"I answered.

"She'll take you at the desk," he directed and then yelled, "We've got another 40!"

I looked over to the break area and saw about 30 people in yellow vests waiting for what I assumed were vaccines.  There were always people waiting for the few extra doses at the end of a daily shift.  Usually there were less than ten to give out, but lately, the health department would open another vial if there were exactly 10 more people than the number needed to use up the left over doses.  Today was different.  The people waiting well exceeded the 19 max doses available, and they all looked to be that day's volunteers. 

The lady at the desk waved me up.  I gave her my name, and she looked me up.

"Yep!  There you are!  Here's your paperwork.  Follow Mary.  She'll show you where to go."

Mary took me into Broadbent and showed me an area of chairs full of waiting people. 

"Fill our your paperwork and then one of the nurses will give you your vaccine," she said.

I still wasn't really sure why I had been called or what was going on.  Normally, the volunteers who completed 40 hours got an email on the Monday after the week they finished their hours with a link to schedule their first vaccine dose the following week.  I had just finished my hours the day before, and it wasn't Monday.

"Excuse me," I asked Mary, "what is going on?  Why did I get called today?  I thought I was supposed to get an email."

She explained that they had over 100 doses left over that day and they were calling everyone who had completed 40 hours that week to get a vaccine.  Any extra doses after those volunteers had arrived would go to that day's volunteers according to hours accumulated and age.

I sat in my chair and filled out my paperwork.  Once I was ready, I motioned to the nurse, and she came over with a time card and the shot.  She looked over my paperwork, asked me my arm preference and gave me my first dose of the Moderna vaccine.  Then she sent me into a waiting area for the required 15 minute wait time.  Someone else showed me how to sign up for the daily check-in text questions to see what kind of reaction I was having.

I sat with a big grin on my face and did what everybody else who had gotten the vaccine did...took selfies! 

The only side effect I had was a VERY sore arm at the injection site.  Like wake me up in the middle of the night when I turned over sore.  Like couldn't raise my arm to take off my shirt sore.  But that only lasted a day. Then it was just regular sore for another day and then it didn't hurt anymore.

I go back on March 4 for my second dose.

I've heard the vaccine called "an injection of hope," and that is truly what it is.  Hope that we can move beyond the stress and anxiety of the last 11 months.  Hope that we can hug our friends and families again.  Hope that we can get our kids back in school and go out to eat and go to concerts and ball games and get back to normal. 

I have not felt this much optimism in a long time.  I can't wait for everyone to feel the same.