Covid Discussion - Week of 1/18

[NewOrleans]

Yes, all the practicing medical professionals and employees in medical facilities are greedy by taking their vaccines. Good lord.

Medical providers and staff, thanks for your work all this time and may all your greedy doses of the vaccine keep you blessedly safe.

[waverly]

Jan 19, 2021 13:29:49 GMT -5 TBM said:

My brother spent 2 hours online and finally got an appointment for his vaccine, but his appointment time is something like 1:57 AM.

Why would they make people come in the middle of the night?

My guess is a glitch in the computer system.  He should call them.

Maybe they mean 1:57pm?  

[tacocat]

Jan 19, 2021 11:05:38 GMT -5 InBetweenDays said:

Jan 19, 2021 9:51:23 GMT -5 tacocat said:

Ugh. I was able to help my parents get appointments for today and now my dad is in the ER with a large kidney stone and they might have to reschedule. They are impossible to come by now. Also, in the ER during covid 😫.

Oh man I'm so sorry ☹️ I can't remember where you are, but if you do need to reschedule we were able to schedule an appointment for my parents through CHI Fransiscan. I also read that if you have a UW eCare account you can schedule an appointment through the.

Thank you! He was able to go home so they are going to go in early and beg. Hopefully they can get their shots or a reschedule. I have some numbers to start calling if not.

[cap]

Jan 19, 2021 11:54:59 GMT -5 TBM said:

Jan 19, 2021 8:17:11 GMT -5 cap said:

I should have been more clear in my questioning - what I really want to know is how many more doses are out there that just haven't been properly distributed? What can team Biden do to increase production quickly since supply is limited? 

Biden is supposed to be invoking the Defense Production Act to speed up production of the vaccine.

Well, yeah, but how specialized of a facility is needed to make the mRNA vaccines? I don't know enough about how they're manufactured to know if a plant that's currently making MMR vaccine could pretty quickly switch to making COVID-19 vaccine. If it's not an easy thing, that's not going to do much to help the immediate need for more vaccine. 

[tacocat]

Jan 19, 2021 12:54:17 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Thinking of your family, @volare.

Thank you!

[cap]

Jan 19, 2021 13:55:24 GMT -5 waverly said:

Jan 19, 2021 13:29:49 GMT -5 TBM said:

My brother spent 2 hours online and finally got an appointment for his vaccine, but his appointment time is something like 1:57 AM.

Why would they make people come in the middle of the night?

My guess is a glitch in the computer system.  He should call them.

Maybe they mean 1:57pm?  

I can see that they might work extended hours, but 1:57 am is crazy. I mean, I had a mammo at 8 pm over the summer. They were scheduling them that late in order to get caught up from being closed down at the start of the pandemic. 

[af1212]

Jan 19, 2021 13:55:24 GMT -5 waverly said:

Jan 19, 2021 13:29:49 GMT -5 TBM said:

My brother spent 2 hours online and finally got an appointment for his vaccine, but his appointment time is something like 1:57 AM.

Why would they make people come in the middle of the night?

My guess is a glitch in the computer system.  He should call them.

Maybe they mean 1:57pm?  

Or maybe wrong time zone setting?

[TBM]

Jan 19, 2021 14:34:03 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Jan 19, 2021 13:55:24 GMT -5 waverly said:

My guess is a glitch in the computer system.  He should call them.

Maybe they mean 1:57pm?  

Or maybe wrong time zone setting?

I just checked with him...he says they are doing them 24/7 at that location.

[af1212]

Jan 19, 2021 14:44:10 GMT -5 TBM said:

Jan 19, 2021 14:34:03 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Or maybe wrong time zone setting?

I just checked with him...he says they are doing them 24/7 at that location.

Wow! Well way to be efficient I guess! And inclusive of all shifts/schedules!

[Velar Fricative]

The death toll has officially exceeded 400,000 today. I don't care how many times I've seen that number recently, it's still a gut punch when I see it. 


www.vox.com/2021/1/19/22238568/us-covid-19-deaths-how-many-400000

[pixy0stix]

Moved the last 2 pages of @ posts to their own thread.

[tacocat]

Update: the clinic gave them their vaccines a couple hours early. I feel a huge weight off. It's just one dose, and hopefully nothing happened today but !!!

[underwaterrhymes]

Jan 19, 2021 13:29:49 GMT -5 TBM said:

My brother spent 2 hours online and finally got an appointment for his vaccine, but his appointment time is something like 1:57 AM.

Why would they make people come in the middle of the night?

My dad’s good friend lives in AZ and got his vaccine at 1 AM.

[tacom]

NEJM published a piece on promoting covid vaccination this month.

#4 strategy is increasing observability.

I hope everyone keeps sharing their vaccine experiences, here and especially on more socially diverse platforms

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2033790

[af1212]

Jan 19, 2021 15:39:11 GMT -5 tacom said:

NEJM published a piece on promoting covid vaccination this month.

#4 strategy is increasing observability.

I hope everyone keeps sharing their vaccine experiences, here and especially on more socially diverse platforms

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2033790

Is strategy #5 - don’t be greedy - skip your second shot so others can have it?

[tacom]

Jan 19, 2021 15:41:03 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Jan 19, 2021 15:39:11 GMT -5 tacom said:

NEJM published a piece on promoting covid vaccination this month.

#4 strategy is increasing observability.

I hope everyone keeps sharing their vaccine experiences, here and especially on more socially diverse platforms

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2033790

Is strategy #5 - don’t be greedy - skip your second shot so others can have it?

Almost!

“Leverage Natural Scarcity
In consumer markets, scarcity often signals exclusivity and prompts greater interest or desirability . . . We should frame early access to vaccines as a mark of honor or respect for people we want to protect, whether they’re older Americans or people with chronic illnesses, first responders (police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians), medical staff, @@schoolteachers@@, or essential workers. For healthy people who identify as “tough” (such as first responders), we can frame priority access as a sign of respect “awarded” to them.”

Calling them greedy and telling them to stfu might work too, though. Who knows. 🤷‍♀️

[formerlyak]

LA County Vaccine Update - Seniors 65 and older can now make appointments through the County system. I got my parents appointments for Monday!

ETA: Forgot to put the link www.vaccinatelacounty.com

[aurora]

Jan 19, 2021 15:53:08 GMT -5 tacom said:

Jan 19, 2021 15:41:03 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Is strategy #5 - don’t be greedy - skip your second shot so others can have it?

Almost!

“Leverage Natural Scarcity
In consumer markets, scarcity often signals exclusivity and prompts greater interest or desirability . . . We should frame early access to vaccines as a mark of honor or respect for people we want to protect, whether they’re older Americans or people with chronic illnesses, first responders (police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians), medical staff, @@schoolteachers@@, or essential workers. For healthy people who identify as “tough” (such as first responders), we can frame priority access as a sign of respect “awarded” to them.”

Calling them greedy and telling them to stfu might work too, though. Who knows. 🤷‍♀️

I dunno, I was feeling a bit of guilt over whether I deserved it, even though my medical director said I did and my state agreed. I think I mentioned that on here before.

After reading susquehanna's post that I am greedy and the rest of this thread I'm actually thinking I need to celebrate it more vocally.

[amandakisser]

I still can't get over calling people greedy for getting a second dose. Like, it'll offer extra protection? It'll build compound vaccine interest to protect you in the future? Well, shit, let me get another dose of the flu vaccine while I'm at it!

[Velar Fricative]

DH’s union is asking members to post when they get their vaccines on social media, to help promote getting vaccinated to members and others who may still be on the fence. Except now anti-vaxxer teachers are complaining that the union is trying to shame them if they don’t want it at all. Eye roll.

[georgeglass]

I signed up for alerts from my parents' county in NC and they emailed that there was a new system for 65+. I called my parents and sent them the link. They both have appointments (not until late Feb) and I am so relieved, I started crying. I get my first shot on Thursday ("education sector personnel") and have been the person in charge of coordinating for all faculty/staff at my school. We were able to all make appointments yesterday and I just now realized the stress I have been carrying.

I held open office hours today to help older people (bus drivers, etc.) who aren't used to tech make their appointments. The VAMS system is not easy for a lot of people.

[formerlyak]

georgeglass, I completely get what you are saying. The system where I registered my parents said they'd get an email, but it didn't come. So I called the pharmacy where I made them appointments directly to ask if they need the email and the pharmacist confirmed that my parents were in his queue for their appointments. I started bawling and told him he made my day. The stress that literally fell off was more than I realized I was carrying.

[wanderingback]

Jan 19, 2021 14:07:41 GMT -5 cap said:

Jan 19, 2021 13:55:24 GMT -5 waverly said:

My guess is a glitch in the computer system.  He should call them.

Maybe they mean 1:57pm?  

I can see that they might work extended hours, but 1:57 am is crazy. I mean, I had a mammo at 8 pm over the summer. They were scheduling them that late in order to get caught up from being closed down at the start of the pandemic. 

In my city there are 24/7 vaccine locations, so it might not be a glitch. Not all people are available during the day.  
waverly

[wanderingback]

I'm sorry for those that are anxious and waiting.
FWIW, I literally didn't know I could get vaccinated until the morning I became eligible and found the website to schedule that morning. So I think it is definitely creeping up on people as we still have many kinks to work out and there are no definitive timelines. From my general knowledge, it seems to be going pretty similarly around the world. Unfortunately there aren't billions of billions of doses to just release out to everyone at once.

I know my city gets a new shipment every week that is not sufficient to vaccinate everyone that's eligible, so one really does have to play the waiting game for now.

In the US alone there are still millions of health care and essential workers who are going in to work and are exposed to covid and haven't been vaccinated and want to be. I really think we should still focus on equity as well because there are a lot of vulnerable people that are going to get screwed over simply because they're not white and rich and don't have easy access to health care due to no fault of their own.

[timorousbeastie]

For people in the metro Detroit area, Wayne County is looking for volunteers to help with their drive through vaccine clinics. Non-medical people are needed to help with greeting, registration, and monitoring after people get their shot; everything is outside. I think they are also looking for medical people to give the shots. Volunteers are given the vaccine at the end of the day. You will need to volunteer a second time to get the second shot.

All the volunteer times are currently booked, but if you know anyone in the area who would be able to do this, keep checking for when they post more days: app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21716086

At the risk of being called an asshole by a certain someone, I’m signed up to volunteer the first week of February so that I can get the vaccine early. But I am high risk, so I’m not cutting in line too much (for the record, I don’t actually think this is cutting in line, nor do I care if it was - whoever has the option to get it should get it!) You know I must be desperate for this vaccine if I’m willing to spend an entire day outside in Michigan in February!

[Velar Fricative]

Jan 19, 2021 20:55:12 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

For people in the metro Detroit area, Wayne County is looking for volunteers to help with their drive through vaccine clinics. Non-medical people are needed to help with greeting, registration, and monitoring after people get their shot; everything is outside. I think they are also looking for medical people to give the shots. Volunteers are given the vaccine at the end of the day. You will need to volunteer a second time to get the second shot.

All the volunteer times are currently booked, but if you know anyone in the area who would be able to do this, keep checking for when they post more days: app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21716086

At the risk of being called an asshole by a certain someone, I’m signed up to volunteer the first week of February so that I can get the vaccine early. But I am high risk, so I’m not cutting in line too much (for the record, I don’t actually think this is cutting in line, nor do I care if it was - whoever has the option to get it should get it!) You know I must be desperate for this vaccine if I’m willing to spend an entire day outside in Michigan in February!

I am truly thrilled for you. I know it’s been such a struggle for high-risk people.

[noodleoo]

Jan 19, 2021 20:55:12 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

For people in the metro Detroit area, Wayne County is looking for volunteers to help with their drive through vaccine clinics. Non-medical people are needed to help with greeting, registration, and monitoring after people get their shot; everything is outside. I think they are also looking for medical people to give the shots. Volunteers are given the vaccine at the end of the day. You will need to volunteer a second time to get the second shot.

All the volunteer times are currently booked, but if you know anyone in the area who would be able to do this, keep checking for when they post more days: app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21716086

At the risk of being called an asshole by a certain someone, I’m signed up to volunteer the first week of February so that I can get the vaccine early. But I am high risk, so I’m not cutting in line too much (for the record, I don’t actually think this is cutting in line, nor do I care if it was - whoever has the option to get it should get it!) You know I must be desperate for this vaccine if I’m willing to spend an entire day outside in Michigan in February!

Your volunteering to help with the vaccine clinic will likely enable hundreds of people to be vaccinated. This helps both them and the community in general.  Volunteers absolutely deserve to be vaccinated as a thank you! And giving you protection so that you can hopefully be safer the next time you volunteer. Not to mention they will also likely be giving you extra doses that would otherwise get wasted. So it is a win from so many angles! 

formerlyak , georgeglass , I have been trying to get vaccine appts for my parents every day for weeks (65+, high risk for multiple reasons and eligible in FL).  I finally got them scheduled today and I haven’t been so happy in months! I cried too. I’m just so relieved to know they will hopefully be safe in a few weeks. I feel like I can finally breathe slightly easier. 

[pixy0stix]

Thanks for mentioning volunteering! My county doesn't have any use for volunteers yet, but they did have a form up to be notified if/when they're needed.

[AAM2012]

I take it back...I think my mom had a stroke but the neurologist wasn’t able to see her today to confirm my suspicions.

She’s also suffering from delirium.

I hate this so much but I know it could be worse.

[cap]

Jan 19, 2021 20:55:12 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

For people in the metro Detroit area, Wayne County is looking for volunteers to help with their drive through vaccine clinics. Non-medical people are needed to help with greeting, registration, and monitoring after people get their shot; everything is outside. I think they are also looking for medical people to give the shots. Volunteers are given the vaccine at the end of the day. You will need to volunteer a second time to get the second shot.

All the volunteer times are currently booked, but if you know anyone in the area who would be able to do this, keep checking for when they post more days: app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21716086

At the risk of being called an asshole by a certain someone, I’m signed up to volunteer the first week of February so that I can get the vaccine early. But I am high risk, so I’m not cutting in line too much (for the record, I don’t actually think this is cutting in line, nor do I care if it was - whoever has the option to get it should get it!) You know I must be desperate for this vaccine if I’m willing to spend an entire day outside in Michigan in February!

Volunteering and getting vaccinated as a result most certainly isn’t cutting the line! Like others said, this helps get more people vaccinated.