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I was vaccinated yesterday, and today I'm going to write about that process, and why it's imperative that you start working on your own vaccination now.
The first thing you need to understand is that the process is fucked, and no one is going to help you.
The first thing you need to understand is that the process is fucked, and no one is going to help you.
If you've been passively waiting, I absolutely get it, but there will not be a magical moment for everyone when you get a clear simple appointment message and it's effortless. It's America, our health system is hot garbage, and nothing shows that like this does.
Because the federal government abandoned its responsibilities, this is state run, and the rules vary wildly from state to state. I would urge people to check not only the state they are in, but neighboring states—you are not required to use your own state.
NY, for example, does have a residency requirement, while NJ does not. So long as you never decieve anyone, looking at all the places you can is not just fair and just, it's prefereable—we want you to be vaccinated as soon as possible, to stop the spread, and end this plague.
I managed to get vaccinated because my partner and I treated this as our full time jobs for a while, investing a lot of time in loading and reloading webpages, scouring resources, talking to friends and acquaintainces, and just working it.
Imagine that you are trying to get Beyonce tickets, and you'll be in a better mindset for what you're trying to accomplish. Going to one portal that you usually use, and looking at the first page to see if there's anything listed is not working the problem.
I'm sorry it is so fucked, believe me we drove many hours and refreshed many webpages, we know how frustrating it is in an intimate way.
By far the biggest impediment to people getting vaccinated now is the fear that by getting vaccinated they will be 'skipping the line'. While it is nice that people are thinking of others, this is not true.
If you're being truthful in your process, then you are not 'skipping ahead' of anyone. There's no justice inherent to this process: the vaccine you skip won't automatically go to someone much more high risk than you are.
If you feel guilt, do reparative work. If you feel unfair that you have the vaccine and so many don't, you're just awake to the unfairness of America. I'd suggest that instead of being paralyzed by guilt or hiding from your responsibility, you put more work in.
After you have your vaccine in your arm, you work to get people who might not be able to navigate these horrible systems to get theirs. That's how we make things better: light a candle, folks. Don't curse the darkness.
Think of it as a new terrible weird awful part-time job getting Beyonce tickets. Cooperate with your friends. Help your relatives. And when you have yours, help others get theirs.
