Once again Pam and I got up a 5AM to drive to the Valencia College campus FEMA site to get our second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Since this was our second dose we were directed to a line that went straight inside the tents essentially bypassing several registration tents that e waited in the first time around.
We gave our drivers licenses and vaccination cards to a worker and she entered the information into her phone which was hooked up to a tiny printer. She printed out a sticky label that I was to wear though the remaining process. As we went to the next tent another helper checked my label against the drivers license and I was told that my last name had been misspelled. I had to go back to get the information changed.
Ultimately we ended up in a holding tent with multiple switchbacks waiting to enter the tent here shots were administered. The site was officially to open at 7AM and there were only minutes before we would be let inside. I decided there wasn’t enough time to sketch all the people waiting. But the minutes dragged on and 7AM became 7:15 and onward.
A woman walked her way backwards in the line and kept asking “Are you Janet?” Who was Janet, and was she the cause for the hold up? Dammit Janet. It turned out she wasn’t looking for Janet, she was asking if people were Spanish. No one who spoke only Spanish would likely respond to someone asking asking questions in English. Regardless several others walked back through the line asking the same question. Then someone started shouting the question loudly from the sidelines. Finally a National Guardsman shouted the question in Spanish and several hands went up. This was unsettling. Something was up. Then everyone was given pens. The computer system had gone down and we had to fill out a Vaccine Screening and Consent form.
I immediately filled out my form incorrectly by putting my first name in the last name field. Then came a series of questions which required me to check NO…
Are you experiencing fever, chills, cough, soreness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle of body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea? Well I always have a headache, and allergies have been really bad this year so I have had a cough and runny nose. I checked NO.
Have you tested positive for COVID-19? NO
Have you had a serious reaction to a previous dose of vaccine. Well I got a headache and aches. NO
Have you had any vaccinations in the last 14 days. How long ago was the first dose I got? I don’t know. NO
Have you had any COVID-19 antibody therapy in the last 90 days? NO
Have you received a previous dose of the COVID-19 vaccine? NO. Oh wait, YES! Hell I already checked the box wrong! OK cross it out and put a big circle in the YES column. But everything else had been filled out with check marks. Would the one circle on the page cause some alarm?
The line started to move as I was still filling out the form. I was directed to seat number 8 and I took off my jacket and sweat shirt. Pam sat diagonally across from me. The sweatshirt got stuck on my baseball cap and mask. I couldn’t just remove the cap since the mask was tied over it. I struggled with my head wedged in the hoodie for what seemed an eternity and finally pulled the sweatshirt over my big head ripping off both my cap and mask. Mortified, I quickly re-masked. I don’t think anyone noticed. I made sure my sticker was on top of my pile of folded clothes. It was chilly outside. The National Guard officer scanned my sticker and had me roll up my sleeve. Before I had time to wince, the shot was in and I was getting my sweatshirt back on. No one ever took my form. I guess the computer system was back online.
After Pam and I both got our shots, we were directed to a tent where we had to wait for 30 minutes to be sure there were no severe reactions. This is when I finally got my sketchbook out and sketched the guy in front of us as he waited for the moment he could return to life as normal. I got the VAX!!! The next day I have a headache and feel achy but that means the vaccine is working. Soon life can return to a new normal though I will still wear my mask, social distance and wash hands often until research proves I can not infect others.