Although the supply of vaccines is increasing over time, demand still exceeds what is available in many places, especially in densely populated areas. People in the big cities compared the attempt to get a vaccination appointment with the attempt to get tickets online for a concert by a very popular band. (Remember those days?)
Here are some tips to help you get fully vaccinated – and get your life back to something more normal than it has probably been for over a year.
You will almost always need an appointment and a good starting point for making an appointment is your state or county health department. This CNN article links to health department websites from all states, along with phone numbers and email addresses to contact if you have any questions.
Another good place to start is with the Covid-19 vaccine locator at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or using its portal to connect to your state or territory’s health department.
Pharmacies that are vaccinating also have their own scheduling sites. The CVS website, for example, will tell you where the vaccine is available. Therefore, if it is not available in your city or municipality at the time you are trying to make an appointment, you may be in a neighboring area.
You asked, we answered: Your top questions about Covid-19 and vaccines
Availability changes quickly, so if you find an available slot, reserve it before someone else does. Don’t forget to cancel your appointment if you can’t keep it, so someone else can get that time.
Pharmacies are also offering the surplus vaccine at the end of the day, because people don’t come to the appointments, for the adults who want to. A pharmacist at a Walmart in the Atlanta area recently said that all of his employees were vaccinated, largely thanks to the leftover doses, and is now offering it to others who are there at the right time later in the day. A local Kroger pharmacy said it maintains a list of people who want to be called when there is a surplus of vaccine.
Social media can be useful. Facebook, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, recently launched a series of tools to help people get vaccinated, including its Coronavirus Information Center (COVID-19).
And, of course, you can use social media sites to collect source information. Look on Facebook for private groups in your area who are dedicated to finding vaccines and getting vaccinated. Some people reported that their neighbors on the Nextdoor app helped them find vaccination schedules.
You may have to travel to take a picture
If you can travel, slots are almost always more available in rural areas, when they are hard to find in the city. In Georgia, for example, it can be difficult to get an appointment in the Atlanta area, but appointments are plentiful for the next few days in the rural southern part of the state.
In announcing a federal program to send doses of vaccines directly to pharmacies in addition to U.S. states and territories, White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said that pharmacies are “readily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living less than five miles from a pharmacy. “
However, some rural areas may not have pharmacies nearby and residents may need to look for mobile vaccination clinics in their areas. The recently approved American Rescue Plan includes a national vaccination program that will finance mobile units in areas that are difficult to access.
The key is to be patient, flexible and determined. You will get an appointment sooner or later.
What to do while waiting in line to be vaccinated
So, now you have an appointment. You are so close to receiving that first or, even better, your final dose.
But what if there is a very long line of people when you get there? In order not to go crazy with boredom, take a phone, tablet or laptop with you.
Other ideas include documenting your experience with the vaccine or planning how you will use your freedom after you are fully vaccinated.
When was the last time you were in a crowd this big? Perhaps you can take the opportunity to make a new friend.
You will find a long list of other ideas in this article.
Welcome to the fully vaccinated club
Do you have your vaccinations? Congratulations! Go hug a grandchild. Embrace a vaccinated friend. Invite friends who are fully vaccinated and visit them without masks. Visit with other people in their homes, as long as they are not considered especially vulnerable if they hire Covid-19.
If you have been exposed to someone with Covid-19, you can skip quarantine when you are fully vaccinated.
If you are one of many who have had Covid-19 and still suffer from the symptoms, some of the so-called “long haulers” are reporting that their symptoms have diminished or even disappeared after being vaccinated.
As some have said, immunization is a psychological game changer: you can feel that a weight has been lifted.
And who doesn’t want to travel again? Some destinations are opening up for those vaccinated.
Remember that it takes two weeks after your last injection to be fully immunized.
And don’t throw your mask away yet. You still need to protect those around you who have not yet been vaccinated. Although some studies indicate that immunized people do not transmit the virus, it is still not certain.
