Covid vaccine rollout in the US - who do you know that is getting the vaccine?

[Channel-Z]

I checked most of the morning today, and the minimum round-trip to find an open appointment is 180 miles. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of flexibility in my schedule.

[Kris]

Woo hoo! Just got scheduled to get my first shot of Pfizer on Wednesday!!!

[jinga nation]

Received my first shot of Pfizer this morning. The checklist at Walgreens was asking if I was 50+ as none of the other categories applied to me. Crossed it out, noted "40+ per order of FL Governor". The tech said upon review "Oh yeah, we need to update the checklist". Today's the first day for 40+ in 'Murica's Wang^TM.

Didn't feel the shot.Doesn't feel sore 4 hours later. I'm doubting if I actually received the 0.3 ml.

Walgreens asked me to fill out paperwork at home including insurance info. However, the tech didn't look at it, asked me the same questions on the paperwork, and input insurance card info into her computer. What's the effing point of the paperwork theater?

Their printout stated "I saved $2.59 using my insurance".
Me: "yeah but how much did you bill my insurance, dolts?"

[Much Fishing to Do]

Life is ironic.  The US has lots of vaccines and lots of vaccine hesitancy.  Canada has a vaccine shortage and most of the population eager to have it.  Any time you have an excess, feel free to send it our way.

Yeah, here in Pennsylvania we've progressed all the way to phase......1A....

So there very well may be plenty of vaccines, just no one is allowed to get them ;-)

[Michael in ABQ]

Nationwide, 28% of people have received at least one shot. Since 18+ represents about 75% of the population, that means about 37% of adults. I only know a few people personally that have said they're not getting vaccinated, plus several more that expressed doubts but will probably get it in the next few months. My state only dropped the limit from 75+ about a week ago - so for most everyone I knew it was a moot point. Our state (New Mexico) has the highest percentage of shots at 37%, or almost 50% of adults. That's without things being opened up to the general public. Albeit, between the 75+, medical workers, various federal sources (DoD, Indian Health Services, etc.), people with medical conditions, etc. It's obviously covered a large swath of the population. But the healthy 18-59 year-olds who don't otherwise qualify due to the nature of their job haven't even had an opportunity yet.

I think the percentage of people who will ultimately refuse to be vaccinated will probably be around 20-30%. Especially as time goes on and they see friends and family getting vaccinated with most experiencing nothing worse than a day or two of feeling sick.

[Kris]

In the past week, I have gone from only tangentially knowing a few parents of friends who had gotten their first dose, to basically my entire close friend circle getting their first dose or their appointments. (I'm a former academic so I have a lot of teacher friends and a lot of people who work in settings with vulnerable populations.) My husband got his first this morning. It has happened quite quickly here.

[Arbitrage]

My wife and I both got our first shots last week.  She experienced some dizziness a couple of hours later; I had no side effects other than a sore arm - which was not really even sore enough to prevent me from working out.

I know the second shot will be much worse, but certainly not worse than being shut-ins for another year (or, you know, dying or suffering long-term symptoms of COVID-19).  Counting down the days until we hit that 2-week mark where immunity is apparently quite robust.

[the_fixer]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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[chaskavitch]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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I am fully prepared to spend a lot of free time for a few days refreshing sites looking for a vaccine for my husband.  I'm so excited! 

[Blackeagle]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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I am fully prepared to spend a lot of free time for a few days refreshing sites looking for a vaccine for my husband.  I'm so excited!

I felt the same when Kansas opened up; then I was able to get an appointment immediately.  It was a little deflating, actually.

[Blackeagle]

Kansas is making the vaccine available to any Kansan 16 and over on March 29th.

They opened up the vaccine to two more groups last week which I was in. I signed up for a waiting list through my county and I was notified of availability next day for a vaccine later in the week. Took 15 minutes. Pfizer. No side effects, other than tearing up a little as I was so moved by the experience!

This morning I saw that Kansas was expanding eligibility.  I was able to get a reservation for next Tuesday.  While I’m very happy that I was able to get my own dose I do worry a little bit about what the availability of appointments says about potential vaccine hesitancy.

☹️

Everyone 16 and up is now eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine in Kansas, but the Sedgwick county health director said thousands of appointments are going unfilled.

[Sid Hoffman]

We have a really serious problem in the US with anti-vax hysteria. It's going to make it extremely difficult to conquer diseases like this one that mutate quickly while they spread.

It's crazy, isn't it? I remember being a kid and finding out about this new thing, the internet that was being opened up to the public for use at schools and such. You know. Schools - because the internet was going to be the information superhighway and banish ignorance from the world. So here we are a few decades later and the internet is being used to spread disinformation at least as much as anyone uses it for finding accurate information. I've taken to calling this the post-truth age, because anybody can make up anything and find a website somewhere to declare that they're right.

As for me, it looks like I'm getting my first shot this week? My group's eligible now and I was able to get booked right in and have a confirmation number, location, and timeslot. I'm with everyone else in that I'm going to feel a whole lot better about so many things once I at least have my first shot. I even agreed to go on a small family weekend trip in a few weeks, since I should have pretty strong antibody response by then based on the articles I'm seeing on the effectiveness even after just the first dose. Certainly a light at the end of the tunnel situation and I'm hopeful that by May/June we'll genuinely be in very good shape, at least in my state but hopefully the whole US and at least seeing vast improvement around the world.

[frugalnacho]

I got my first shot Monday morning of this week, pfizer.  38 years old, essential worker, I work in the city of Detroit and our company was just given the eligibility green light last week.

Got the shot at 10AM.  Had a wicked headache all day.  No arm soreness at all, until evening time when injection site became extremely sore.
Day 2: achiness in upper arm all day.  minor aches in back.  Very odd shooting pain in humerus.  Weird cramps in feet - feels like a mild cramp or charlie horse, but I can't stretch it out. 

I don't know if all those are directly attributable to the vaccine or just coincidence.  None of it was that bothersome besides the headache.

Got my second dose of pfizer today.  Felt extreme lightheadedness within about 20 seconds of receiving shot; similar to standing up too fast. Went away within a few minutes.

Shoulder got more and more sore as the day went on (much worse than the first dose) and the soreness started to radiate out into my neck and back.  Mild headache, much less than first dose.  Felt very fatigued all evening.  Slept like a baby and woke up feeling great.  No aches, no fever, very mild soreness in shoulder. 

[turketron]

Our state announced yesterday that more than 1 million Wisconsinites (out of roughly 6 million total) are fully vaccinated and we're on pace to vaccinate 80% of eligible adults by July 4. Additionally, while they're still officially targeting May 1 for opening it up to the general public, the secretary of the WI DHS stated "I anticipate that very soon we’ll be making an announcement that it will be sooner than May 1." Sounds promising!

[NorCal]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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I am fully prepared to spend a lot of free time for a few days refreshing sites looking for a vaccine for my husband.  I'm so excited!

I went through this last night and had no luck across the entirety of the front range.  King Soopers in the Grand Junction area had a ton of available appointments when I checked last night.

[Trifle]

NC is opening up to all on April 7. Very excited that husband and kid #1 can get vaccinated. 

[the_fixer]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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I am fully prepared to spend a lot of free time for a few days refreshing sites looking for a vaccine for my husband.  I'm so excited!

I went through this last night and had no luck across the entirety of the front range.  King Soopers in the Grand Junction area had a ton of available appointments when I checked last night.

King Soooers site is flaky it is my last resort. My top ones for finding appointments are Walmart (using the clock trick), CVS, Albertsons / Safeway. Walgreens also seems to be hard like King soopers.

Also look on the vaccine hunters page a couple of times a day. They posted 2 mass vaccination clinics in Fountain (next to Colorado Springs) that had hundreds of appointments as of this morning. If you keep checking the vaccine hunter site you will see a new mass vac appointments open up every day or two.


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[Villanelle]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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I am fully prepared to spend a lot of free time for a few days refreshing sites looking for a vaccine for my husband.  I'm so excited!

Join a few vaccine hunter groups on FB for your area.  Lots of great tips and tricks, and there are also bots that will alert you when doses are released during the day. 

[jinga nation]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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I am fully prepared to spend a lot of free time for a few days refreshing sites looking for a vaccine for my husband.  I'm so excited!

Try this: https://www.vaccinespotter.org/CO/

It helped my find appointments close to home in FL.

[SuperNintendo Chalmers]

Colorado is opening to anyone 16 and up April 2nd.


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Just got my first scheduled for next week!

[By the River]

Got the second shot at lunchtime.  No issues after the first shot but I have a headache now.  Shutting down the electronics and any noise makers. 

[iluvzbeach]

DH & I received our first dose of Moderna earlier today. It was an efficient & pain-free process. We are both quite happy the clock is ticking and we’re on our way toward being protected from the virus. I’ll report back in the next few days regarding any possible side effects that may arise.

[anotherAlias]

Wisconsin just opened up eligibility to everyone over 16yo starting Monday. I'm hoping to snag my first shot in the next couple weeks...maybe even sooner if the vaccine hesitancy is as and as I expect.

[sui generis]

Man, I just joined the vaccine hunting groups on FB and my anxiety totally skyrocketed.  I don't know what happened when the last two weeks I had like 7 friends and acquaintances probably technically not eligible get vaccinations and talk about how few people there were and how easy it was to get an appointment....and then I join these local vaccine groups and people are like I'M 78 YO AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT SINCE FEBRUARY, PLEASE HELP ME!!!  and people talking about "only" traveling 3.5 hours one way to get a vaccine in another county or state. And I don't know WTF is going on, but I went from thinking I would get my shot easily when I am eligible (4/15) to feeling like my name just came up as tribute in the Hunger Games.

[the_fixer]

Man, I just joined the vaccine hunting groups on FB and my anxiety totally skyrocketed.  I don't know what happened when the last two weeks I had like 7 friends and acquaintances probably technically not eligible get vaccinations and talk about how few people there were and how easy it was to get an appointment....and then I join these local vaccine groups and people are like I'M 78 YO AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT SINCE FEBRUARY, PLEASE HELP ME!!!  and people talking about "only" traveling 3.5 hours one way to get a vaccine in another county or state. And I don't know WTF is going on, but I went from thinking I would get my shot easily when I am eligible (4/15) to feeling like my name just came up as tribute in the Hunger Games.

What I have found from helping people and being a member of a hunter group is that people having a hard time fall into a few different categories.

1. People that signed up with a healthcare system and are waiting for them to call.

2. People lacking computer skills or access

3. People that are looking for a specific version of the vaccine such as J&J due to allergies or phizer for under 18 years old.

4. People that are unwilling to go 1/2 hour or more from home

In all cases if someone posts for help they are generally able to get taken care of in hours to days.

The fact that you are reading the info, being proactive and have the ability to use / access the internet you will be good to go in no time I have faith


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[Taran Wanderer]

Parents are all vaccinated.  Siblings and spouses are vaccinated.  Best friends are vaccinated.  We got Covid (it sucked) so we're feeling protected, but we will get our first shots next week.  It has been really nice to get together for some family dinners recently.

[Dollar Slice]

Man, I just joined the vaccine hunting groups on FB and my anxiety totally skyrocketed.

You'll be OK! Some of the people who post in those groups are... well, they need a lot of help and a lot of hand-holding. Some of them secretly have anxiety holding them back but won't admit it (well, I don't want to go too far, and I only want such-and-such vaccine, and I don't like needles, and I don't feel safe riding the subway, and I don't want to wait in a long line, and what about the side effects, but I don't want to commit to a second appointment, and what if I have to cancel, and, and, and...). They will ask the same questions over and over without checking to see if someone asked it an hour ago, they can't google the simplest things. At least twice a day someone asks if there is a place to park by the Javits Convention Center. Because clearly the "helping people get vaccinated" Facebook group staffed entirely by volunteers trying to get life-saving vaccines to the elderly and infirm is the best place to get Manhattan parking advice.

You are not like those people. :-) You're a smart, tech-savvy person who genuinely wants a vaccine ASAP. You'll be fine. And those groups really are helpful. Today we had one of our biggest eligibility expansions in NY (added the 30-50 age group) and it was a madhouse everywhere all day, appointments disappearing instantly on every website - but I could have snagged multiple appointments through that FB group if I'd needed them. They're coming through with random little urgent care clinics no one's ever heard of and one-day pop-up walk-in clinics and indie local pharmacies that only take appointments over the phone, while the other million people who aren't in the group are bashing refresh on the state mass vax website until their fingers bleed because they didn't release any new appointments today.

[sui generis]

Thanks for the pep talk, folks!  I should be able to at least sleep tonight anyway ;)

[katekat]

I was able to get my first dose of Pfizer last Saturday in NC as group 4 'high risk' (I am pregnant, and a former smoker).

I got very lucky with appointments. I became eligible on March 17th, but on the evening of March 16th I decided to check to see whether any of the 'systems' for vaccine searching had already opened up group 4 as an acceptable reason, and they had. So I:

• stuck my name on the local 'public health' list that isn't first come first served and instead does some internal prioritization and contacts you later when a vaccine is available
• and then I went onto the MyChart for my local hospital system and used their appointment finder. There were LOTS of appointments available, I must have timed it perfectly for them releasing them. So I got one through them.

My invite to book an appointment through public health came through on March 28th, hours after my appointment. I find it very reassuring to know that that system would have 'worked' in a reasonable amount of time, if I hadn't managed to find a vaccine appointment in the race/search/fight system before that.

I had a sore arm for a few days and no other symptoms. I was tired the day of, and napped, but I think that was for non-vaccine reasons, although I guess it could also have been a side effect.

[Blackeagle]

I got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday.  So far just a sore shoulder.  No other side effects.

[turketron]

Wisconsin just opened up eligibility to everyone over 16yo starting Monday. I'm hoping to snag my first shot in the next couple weeks...maybe even sooner if the vaccine hesitancy is as and as I expect.

Just got mine booked for Monday afternoon! It's about an hour drive from me at the Lake Geneva Walmart - I'm gonna keep an eye out for any openings closer to home but I'm more than happy to make the drive if it means I get the shot on day 1 of my eligibility.

[Zamboni]

Congrats to all who are making appointments! Sending good wishes your way!

If you are having trouble, then persistence and patience and trying multiple options is your best bet. Also, it's not really surprising that there seems to always be a big rush the first day a new group is eligible, and then that slowly tapers.

When I got my first shot, I was literally the only car in the official "reserved for vaccinations" parking lot. The governor had just announced that my group was eligible and just by dumb luck I heard it within 5 min of the announcement, so I hopped on it immediately and got an appointment that same day. Then I spread the word to others in my same group, and they hadn't heard the news yet. My friend told me the same lot was nearly full the next morning when she went and it was quite busy with lines for each station (I had not experienced any lines).

I think some of the big commercial online systems for sign ups are not great in the way they are designed, and that contributes to anxiety. For example, on the Walgreens site, I put in my zip code and this green box popped up that said "We have appointment available in your area!" or something like that. So I was excited to just head to the corner store, and I answered the rest of their required questions ASAP (and I type fast, so it really is ASAP), but when I clicked the last continue button a discouraging red box popped up that said some version "There are no available appointments in your area at this time." That's kind of a soul crushing loop if you are prone to soul crushing. After going through that routine with them a few times, each time having to answer all of the same questions again and trying lots of local zip codes, I gave up on that avenue, but I do know people who have been successful with Walgreens. YMMV.

I also put my name in with two big healthcare systems here. One has never contacted me even though I have been eligible for more than a month. The other one emailed me a link to set up an appointment about two weeks after I got my first dose through another route. So, I agree that many of the systems do generally work. There had to be some way to keep things orderly. No system is perfect, but this one seems to be getting millions of people vaccinated pretty quickly.

[chaskavitch]

Thanks all for the Vaccine Spotter recommendations.  I've been using Vaccine Finder, and between the two of them I'm sure I'll find something for my husband.  Just a matter of checking in throughout the day! 

[Villanelle]

Man, I just joined the vaccine hunting groups on FB and my anxiety totally skyrocketed.  I don't know what happened when the last two weeks I had like 7 friends and acquaintances probably technically not eligible get vaccinations and talk about how few people there were and how easy it was to get an appointment....and then I join these local vaccine groups and people are like I'M 78 YO AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT SINCE FEBRUARY, PLEASE HELP ME!!!  and people talking about "only" traveling 3.5 hours one way to get a vaccine in another county or state. And I don't know WTF is going on, but I went from thinking I would get my shot easily when I am eligible (4/15) to feeling like my name just came up as tribute in the Hunger Games.

To mostly echo what others have said, anyone in my area who is in the categories being served should be able to get a vaccine in less than a week.  They have to be willing to put in ~15 minutes of reading some tips and tricks, and to log in to the CVS website at 1150p and be ready to hit the button at midnight.  I don't know of anyone who has followed the basic tips and not gotten an appointment within 2 nights of trying, and they book 5 days out.  And these are within 45 minutes' drive, often within 15 or less. 

Now, this may change once we open up to gen pop.  For a while the competition may be more fierce, but even then you will have people who claim they can't get it, but all they have done is just register with the county.  Or after some digging you discover they will only consider J&J, which we have very, very few of, because they are allergic to ragweed or bee stings, even though neither are actual reasons doctors and experts say mane no Moderna or Pfizer.  Or they want J&J because in two weeks they are traveling so they won't be around to get a second dose.

Now, there are some legitimate reasons people might struggle.  No internet access.  No transportation and living fairly remotely.  But for the average (or even not-quite-average) person, with moderate effort it seems to be fairly easy now (even compared to a couple weeks ago) to get an appointment if they are in the categories our state is serving. 

Every state is different, of course.  Sign up now for any lists you can if your category isn't up.  Our state (and the counties that choose to operate outside the state system) call based on sign-up date within a category.  But the pharmacies seem far easier to get--they just require more than signing up and waiting to be contacted. 

[Northwoods]

I received my first shot today! I got Moderna and I am happy to report that my only side effect 8 hours in is a mildly sore arm. So far it’s milder than my most recent flu shot.

DH is 5 days out from his first Pfizer dose and is still side effect free other than the sore arm.

[mm1970]

My DH got his first shot yesterday.  The state of CA opens up to 50+ tomorrow, technically, but the public health department is doing "clinics" and they allowed 50+ to start on Sunday.  The caveat is that this week's clinic is an hour's drive away.  So, almost everyone I know my age (a bunch), drove the hour and got their 1st shot this week.

My older friends had luck at a variety of places.  Various drug stores, hospitals, etc.  Being 50 myself, I started keeping a list of potential sources of vaccine signups, but none of them (except the county) would let you sign up yet, because it's not April 1.  I know some folks apparently got around that by saying they were in a different group (pre existing conditions, or whatever), to get the appointment.  Apparently, they really don't check and don't care once you get there.

Interestingly, the Public health department's first two clinics are in towns with a lot of underserved, poor populations, that's good!  But it's mostly rich white people going - that's bad.  Sign up for this was the easiest ever, so I'm not sure what to do other than allow walk ins in certain neighborhoods.  In our county, we haven't gotten enough doses.  Only 65% of people 75+ and 25% of 65-74 have been vaccinated.  That's really low.  They really need to figure out how to get the other at risk people vaccinated.

All that to say that I was in a conf call yesterday, discussing my plans to go online tomorrow and look for an appointment.  My coworker's wife got vaccinated last week (not sure how?  She's young - maybe pre-existing condition, maybe her job, maybe she's pregnant, I dunno).  He sent me a link in the chat box to the local hospital.  I had literally checked their site this morning, that said 65+.  When I clicked the link, it said 50+, with 2 appts left for the week...

So my first shot is tomorrow at lunch time, whee!  It really is who you know sometimes... (I didn't go with my husband because we wanted to make sure we didn't react, because someone has to be able to drive the kids to school.)

It's Pfizer, as is my husband's, and it's right by my office, so only a 15 min drive, not an hour.

[Taran Wanderer]

DW and I received Moderna #1 about 2 hours ago. Mild arm soreness, and my nose feels unusually clear. We had Covid about 3 months ago, so I’m curious to see how any vaccine side effects compare to the real thing (which was a week of awful and several weeks of fatigue and brain fog and no sense of smell). I became eligible on Monday and we were called this afternoon on a short notice opportunity to go in and get extra doses.

[GillyMack]

My 30-year old son lives in Arizona. They opened up to all adults last Wednesday. Ignoring any advice from his MMM-reading parent about looking for vaccine hunters groups (which I found had a lot of good crowd-sourced info in my state), he got a list of 5 pharmacy/grocery chains from the state website.  He created accounts as needed, and  logged onto each once a day, and looked for appointments.  On the third day, Friday mid-morning, there was an appointment available at a Walgreens 4 miles away for Tuesday evening. He grabbed it along with an automatic second dose in 4 weeks. He was delighted because with an evening appointment, he wouldn’t have to miss work. The the appointment, which was last night, went smoothly. Only 2 other people there for the vaccine, one of whom was already sitting his 15 minute wait afterwards.  Son has the classic sore arm tonight but no other side effects.

I was amazed that he got an appointment that fast without that much effort. And this was Phoenix suburbs, not rural.

[dignam]

Got my first dose of Pfizer last Friday.  Feel perfectly fine, besides a sore arm for a day or so.  WI is opening to everyone starting Monday, which isn't really a surprise.

My parents are fully vaccinated.  Two of my sibs and I are half vaccinated.  One more sib is searching, but apparently is having issues finding places where she is in VT.

[engineerjourney]

My parents are fully vaccinated, both 65+ and had no side effects besides sore arm for either dose. CT just opened up to anyone 16+ today and I was able to get my husband and I appointments for next Friday pretty local!  My mom was having issues getting one for my brother (he is recovering from cancer and cant work so is living with them) because the sites started getting overloaded.  I was able to get in and get him one for the 23rd.  Hoping we can find something sooner as the sites aren't overloaded and people cancel any multiples they get.  Also sent her the info to get him signed up for the waste signups for the area since I know they have more flexibility than my family does as we have young kids with us constantly. 

[Sid Hoffman]

I feel like we're rounding the corner or over the hump or whatever you want to call it for a number of states now where it's only going to get easier and easier to get appointments. This is honestly such a great thing. I also saw an article about how an 800 member group was being studied with the Pfizer vaccine and so far none has contracted the African variant either. These new mRNA vaccines are like science fiction, it's great.

[dignam]

I feel like we're rounding the corner or over the hump or whatever you want to call it for a number of states now where it's only going to get easier and easier to get appointments. This is honestly such a great thing. I also saw an article about how an 800 member group was being studied with the Pfizer vaccine and so far none has contracted the African variant either. These new mRNA vaccines are like science fiction, it's great.

mRNA vaccines are so cool to read and learn about.  On the surface at least, they seem like a much more resilient method of vaccination.

[kenmoremmm]

Whoever came up with the different tiers for the distribution should be fired.

I'll never understand why it just wasn't: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or A, B, C, D, E, F

It's so confusing in its current format.

[Dollar Slice]

Whoever came up with the different tiers for the distribution should be fired.

I'll never understand why it just wasn't: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or A, B, C, D, E, F

It's so confusing in its current format.

The governor was so haphazard with his many surprise vaccine eligibility announcements in NY that the NYC web page gave up on tier numbers and letters and just has a long, random list of people who are eligible now. People over a certain age, people with the following medical conditions, first responders, food industry workers, health care workers, etc. etc. and every category expands into its own long list of subcategories. Super simple! :-P

[HPstache]

Washington open to all 16 years and older beginning 4/15/2021

[anotherAlias]

My SO and I (both 45yo) are both scheduled for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine on Tues. It's just the second day that i am eligible.  SO has been eligible for a week but has been lazy about looking for appointments.  We are getting them through the county health dept vaccine clinic.  The registration was awkwArd and required creating an account with a third party scheduling website. We managed it fine but I can see less tech savvy people struggling with the multiple steps.  Now we just need to convince my SO's daughter to get hers.  She's 18 and thanks to her mother's family, doesn't think Covid is a big deal.

[Sid Hoffman]

Whoever came up with the different tiers for the distribution should be fired.

I'll never understand why it just wasn't: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or A, B, C, D, E, F

It's so confusing in its current format.

My parents mentioned the same thing. They're in their early 70s and my dad has breathing issues but their 20-something year old veterinarian got vaccinated before them because she's a healthcare worker, and healthcare workers got priority over everyone else, regardless of the genuine risk, which is almost exclusively by age and health comorbidities.

So they had to say "OK, everybody is Tier 1! But some people are more Tier 1 than others (1A, 1B, 1C)." There will be a lot of lessons learned from this pandemic that we can apply to the next one, or to the next strains of covid and future vaccines later this year and into next year. I've basically settled into accepting that we are just going to live with Covid forever, similar to Influenza. It will never go away, and unfortunately 2021 is likely to be the most vaccinated year of all time for Covid. In the future, it will be just as hard to get people to get annual Covid boosters as it is to get people to get annual Influenza shots.

[Trifle]

North Carolina is opening to everyone 16+ on 4/7 and I managed to snag appointments for husband and 17 y.o. daughter on the first day of eligibility.  Our county won’t let you sign up until the first day of eligibility, but I just happened to ask at my grocery store pharmacy and they were happy to let me sign them up ahead of time.  They’ll be getting Pfizer.  Awesome!  That just leaves our 15 y.o. waiting.  Sounds like the 12-15 yo group may be getting approval in late summer or so(?)

[kenmoremmm]

Whoever came up with the different tiers for the distribution should be fired.

I'll never understand why it just wasn't: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or A, B, C, D, E, F

It's so confusing in its current format.

My parents mentioned the same thing. They're in their early 70s and my dad has breathing issues but their 20-something year old veterinarian got vaccinated before them because she's a healthcare worker, and healthcare workers got priority over everyone else, regardless of the genuine risk, which is almost exclusively by age and health comorbidities.

So they had to say "OK, everybody is Tier 1! But some people are more Tier 1 than others (1A, 1B, 1C)." There will be a lot of lessons learned from this pandemic that we can apply to the next one, or to the next strains of covid and future vaccines later this year and into next year. I've basically settled into accepting that we are just going to live with Covid forever, similar to Influenza. It will never go away, and unfortunately 2021 is likely to be the most vaccinated year of all time for Covid. In the future, it will be just as hard to get people to get annual Covid boosters as it is to get people to get annual Influenza shots.

As Covid becomes endemic, it seems (to me) that it will eventually become "just like the flu" (Trump could be right, accidentally). Like, if it wipes out 750k people this year, maybe next year is 150k and then 2023 is 100k, and so forth. Eventually it plateaus at a roughly static number, like the flu, and will look like a 1 / x curve.

[OtherJen]

Husband and I are signed up to get the Moderna vax. I will get my first dose in a week, and he'll get his a few days after that. We're not eligible to receive the shots until 4/5, but the neighboring suburb that is running a vaccine clinic opened up the appointment scheduling early. My mom is fully vaxxed, and dad will receive his second dose tomorrow. Most of my friends and relatives have gotten at least one dose (they're either in high-risk professions or populations).

I'm just so damned grateful right now. My parents' 50th wedding anniversary is this summer, and we might actually be able to celebrate safely with them (and give them hugs for the first time in more than a year). We'll be able to visit my young niece and nephew in person. Hell, we'll be able to have dinner with friends.