COVID: Vaccination
Weather: Cold and wet. Welcome back Winter.
Through the headset: Chris Stapleton - Starting Over
I hadn’t expected it to be so emotional. As I waited in line to receive the vaccine, I thought back to the past year. The Spring, the Shit, when I’d sit down in the shower before work, too tired to properly stand at 5:15 in the morning. The unknown, the anxiety, the close calls. The looks, the looks of patients as they gasped for air, The Terror. The absence of family — I hadn’t seen them for over a year.
After an hour’s wait, it was my turn. First the clearance questions:
“Are you feeling well today?”
Oof… a lingering of the body aches. I still didn’t feel just right, but well enough. “Sure,” I replied.
“Have you recently had to quarantine?”
I stammered. “Like… how… when… wha…?”
“Within the last 14 days.”
He was coaching me, coaxing me to give the right answer. The problem is the right answer didn’t necessarily match with the truth. My quarantine had lasted for 18 hours and resulted in two negative tests and clearance from Employee Health. Did that count? The vaccine… if I didn’t get it now, when would it next be available for me?
“No,” I replied. Authoritatively.
“Are you immunocompromised or taking medications that would make you immunocompromised?”
“No,” again with authority.
“Are you ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
Thus signaled the start to the end of the 2020/COVID nightmare.
On my way to lunch, I sent my vax selfie to the family. By the time I got settled in my seat in the silent auditorium, by phone had gone off a couple of times. Apparently Mom had started to cry. She couldn’t stop per Dad and Lindsay. I sat there alone with my lunch and wept. Waves of emotion would crest, the recede, allowing me to slowly eat. It was 12/24. Mom claimed it was the best Christmas present she could have received.
One of the oncology directors texted me and asked how things went. I mentioned the long wait but no complaints! Then shared a screenshot of the family chat while explaining to her that I hadn’t seen my family in over a year. This got her emotions as well.
The vaccination process happened much sooner than I had expected. I figured we’d be waiting for our turn until at least February. Needless to say it came as a surprise when one of the directors called me that random, Christmas Eve morning. “Be in line by 12:00pm!” I was one of the first from our floor to be offered a spot. I think this was in recognition of some of the additional sacrifices I’d had to make throughout the epidemic. I appreciated that these were being recognized.
So begins the slow start to normalcy. It’ll be another month until the body develops full immunity. In that time, no haircuts, maximum N95 usage, and a final push of resiliency. If I’m able to time things right, I may even get to spend Spring Break with the family. Did I mention that I haven’t seen them in over a year?