Getting Vaccinated at a Mass COVID Vaccination Site

I wanted to get my vaccination against COVID-19 over and done with, and get on with my life. Having already experienced an excruciating and fruitless online search for a vaccination appointment for a family member in another state, I decided to preregister myself in Massachusetts. Given a choice, I preferred to leave it to an automated COVID-19 vaccination appointment finder rather than spend hours of frustration while conducting my own search. A few weeks ago, a friend had reported that she was able to get her shot by preregistering with the state. "It works!" she told me.

Weeks passed, and I received regular, reassuring, but ultimately unhelpful automated reminders that . . . I . . . am . . . indeed . . . preregistered. What I hoped for, and didn't receive, was a message that I had an actual appointment.

So I turned to the private vaccination help services I had been hearing about. Throughout the state, a number of enterprising people have tasked themselves with monitoring open appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations in order to help the unvaccinated. A couple of my neighbors had quickly been vaccinated after finding appointments through Twitter. They even newly joined Twitter with the purpose of hunting for vaccination appointments. I'm not a Twitter user, so I searched for other private, online assistance, and signed myself up for a few. They were free to use, with donations sometimes being an option.

Within 24 hours of signing up for alerts, I received a text message from covidvaccinetexts.com . It alerted me to available appointments at CVS in the neighboring town! I swiftly responded by clicking on the link provided. Alas, my immediate response was not quick enough. All slots were full.

Luckily, the next day and the next, I had better luck. The service that came through like gangbusters for me was macovidvaccinefinder.org. Within a period of 2.5 days after registering for alerts through that site, I received about 20 separate emails announcing a slew of openings at multiple vaccination sites. Most were about an hour drive (give or take) away from me -- a distance I found eminently reasonable, balanced against the difficulty of getting an appointment.

The vaccination appointment that I chose (yes, you read that correctly. . . I actually had choices!) was Saint Vincent Hospital Vaccine Collaborative at Worcester State University's Wellness Center. On Tuesday, April 13th, I nabbed a vaccination appointment for Thursday, April 15th. I was able to choose my date from a few available dates! I was able to choose my time from a few available times!

On Thursday morning of April 15th, I rolled into the parking lot of the university's Wellness Center, right on time for my appointment, although a little later than ideal. The instructions said to arrive 15 minutes prior to my 10:30 a.m. appointment, but my estimate for travel time was off. Greeted by someone who appeared to be a fireman, I was immediately allowed to enter the building with all the other 10:30 a.m. appointment holders.

I walked down the entrance hall, at the end of which was a check-in stand resembling the security checkpoint for flying out of Logan Airport. After a speedy check of my name and identification (I used my driver's license), I was directed to a fast moving second line. The second line led to one of four socially distanced tables where volunteers sat issuing vaccination cards. On one side, the card showed the lot number of the shot I would receive. On the flip side, there was a space to write down my soon to be scheduled second vaccination appointment.

Highly visible volunteers in purple tee-shirts stood at various points in the large room, which appeared to be a basketball court covered with squares of carpeting on the floor. The well-trained purple-shirted volunteers capably directed vaccine seekers in the appropriate direction, to the correct line and table.

I had only come into possession of my vaccination card for a moment when a volunteer waved me over to Table 14 (of 18 tables). There, a nurse quickly administered my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine as her colleague typed my information into a laptop. She warned that my arm might be sore afterwards, so I chose my non-dominant arm for the shot. I barely felt anything -- just a tiny prick on the outside of my skin. Did she really get it all the way in? I had to ask. Make sure you get all of that shot in me! This is one that I want!

Now, having just been vaccinated with my first shot, I can say that I am impressed. Organization and efficiency are the takeaways from my experience with the Saint Vincent Hospital Vaccine Collaborative. From the available parking, speedy check-in and efficient shot administration, to the clean restroom and comfortable post-shot wait, everything felt safe, adequately socially distanced, and well-run.

My one quibble is that I was told someone would come around to find me and schedule my second shot, but that never happened. I sat in the post-shot waiting area, waiting out a possible allergic reaction for about half an hour, even though I really only needed to stay about 15 minutes or so. Finally, I asked a staffer how to schedule a second shot. He gave me a sheet of paper with instructions for making a second appointment online. It seemed to describe exactly the way I had signed up for the first appointment. It turns out these instructions were taped to the back of every chair in the waiting area. I happened to be seated in a location at the front of the room, with no chair back to look at. While everyone seated behind me could read about making a second appointment, I had remained unobservant and clueless for half an hour.

Except for that glitch, the experience was pretty flawless. Traffic even flowed, despite construction in Worcester. It is almost 12 hours after my first Pfizer shot, and except for some soreness in my arm at the site of my shot, I am having absolutely no reaction. In fact, I am feeling pretty good, perkier, and more alert than usual. I don't know if that's a side effect of the shot (Is it non-drowsy or caffeinated?). Or maybe it's the feeling of relief that is lifting me now -- a feeling that I haven't experienced since the pandemic settled over daily life a little over a year ago. The relief, or whatever it is, feels new . . . and good.

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