All right, March 29th, going to motor on down to White Plains for my first COVID-19 vaccine shot. And yeah, I’m kinda stoked. I need a short-sleeve shirt, so I’m deciding which Albany Patroons T-shirt I’m wearing for that day. Gotta represent the 518, don’tcha know.
Then I received a call from my primary care physician, Dr. Seighahhs. No, that’s not the doctor’s name. HIPAA requirements, and all.
Yes, as part of my routine to get my physical body and mental health back in shape after years of wandering off the reservation, I’ve finally acquired a decent primary care physician. So I’m thinking she’s calling to make sure that I’m dealing with all my appointments.
“Have you had your COVID-19 vaccine shot yet?” Dr. Seighahhs asked.
“I’m scheduled to go to White Plains in three weeks for it,” I replied.
“Would you like it today?”
Now, mind you, I’ve been very apprehensive about switching appointments. I feel that there are people who are more at risk than I, and they should be inoculated first. That’s why, when the appointment in White Plains opened up, I jumped on it like it was a freshly-lubricated Slip ‘n Slide.
“Well, I’ve already got an appointment in White Plains, so…”
“That’s fine, but we had someone cancel today. If you can get to my office this afternoon, you can get your shot.”
So … I guess someone else is going to get that White Plains vaccine. Plus, two and a half hours down the Taconic Parkway is kind of a boring trip, IMHO.
“Which vaccine are you offering?” I asked.
“We have the Pfizer vaccine, so we’ll schedule your next shot after you get this one.”
“Okay,” I replied, “I’ll be there today. But you have to give me one request.”
“What’s that?”
“I need a photo.”
12:45 p.m. I’m trying to roll up my long-sleeved shirt so that the nurse can poke me with the vaccine. I gave my phone to another nurse, who offered to take my vaccination photo.
And before I knew it…
A couple of things. I think I received the menthol-flavored Pfizer vaccine. Which is fine. I guess it’ll keep my bloodstream minty fresh.
Also, I have this unusually strong desire to buy Microsoft products, for some reason. I don’t even want to go to a bakery and order an Apple pie. Hail to our overlord, Bill Gates…
That, or maybe someone miniaturized the Proteus, and now I’ve got a microscopic Raquel Welch floating around in my tissues. Wowie.
Okay. That being said, I’m not experiencing any weird, unnatural side-effects as of yet. But we shall see how things go, especially when I get shot #2 in three weeks.
Oh, and as for the White Plains appointment? I cancelled it after I received my first shot today.
That way, it will open up for someone else who needs an appointment, because I don’t want a single dose of this vaccine to go to waste.
At least not on my watch.
Chuck The Writer 
Always take the shot!
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If you’ve any spare vaccine down there, please send it to Canada. Our governments are acting proud about how they haven’t yet managed to inoculate 1% of the population, and are once again promising that 36 million doses will suddenly appear by April or June or July. I stopped believing them about 500 million non-existent doses ago.
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I don’t think it’s a HIPAA breach to name the Doctor https://www.defensorum.com/hipaa-training/
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