Covid Support Thread
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I lucked out and got my vaccine from a Jewel in Hyde Park on Monday night. Then I snagged a shot slot for my brother and my husband (we are all 1b due to our workplace). Seems to be luck of the draw as cancellations and additional doses are released. Wasn’t going to ‘push’ for it since I’m overall healthy, but the opportunity presented itself so i took it.
Back to work today.. maternity leave is officially over 🙁
Of course the whole system crashed today in MA when appointments opened up at 8am for 65+ and ppl with 2 underlying conditions. It’s still fucked.
Hi Kate
I know a lot of people that have had success scheduling through pharmacy channels.
The following website will in theory send you alerts of slots open up at any nearby CVS
https://www.cvscovidalerts.com/
Also I don’t know if you have Rite Aid in MA but these were the tricks posted in a local Facebook group for getting rite aid slots
https://www.riteaid.com/pharmacy/apt-scheduler
“Go to the Rite Aid link, qualify yourself and then sit and wait until 11:45 PM and start searching for vaccine appointments, you might get an appointment. Rite aid seems to dump a bunch of open appointments every night between 11:45 and 11:55 PM. The tricks I’ve learned from this group include picking a time in the afternoon ( they are less often taken), saying “I don’t have one/don’t want to provide one” when they ask for your primary care physician info; and then answering all of the medical questions as “don’t know” , and then just making a quick dot or slash when asked to sign your name. With these tricks, you can get thru all of the info more quickly because there’s only about 10 minutes until the appointments are all taken. Good luck! If you have any problems let me know- I could try to help if you are willing to drive out to the burbs for your appointment . ”
Both of my parents received their second shot! When all this started my biggest fear was losing one of my parents or in laws. Particularly my mom because she has COPD. I’ve been sequestered in my house with a 5 & 2 (now 6 & 3!) year old just to keep my mom safe. And now she is. It’s an amazing relief after this brutal fucking year. Fyodor, while I’m celebrating my mom making it, I’m thinking of families who did lose their moms. I’m so very sorry for your loss and I hope you and your dad are doing well.
Hi Helen
Thank you for thinking of us. We’re holding up OK. We got my father vaccinated though we received many customer service complaints about the neighborhood to which we sent him. The Bride has gotten her first shot, having a qualifying comorbidity. It’s probably going to be a while for me, but hopefully with my antibodies from my illness in December I should be protected until then. It’s been wonderful seeing a lot of the older people in my local religious community get their shots and know that people will be able to return safely to their lives.
I am hoping by April/May my siblings (and particularly my sister who would have to fly) will have been vaccinated and we’ll at last be able to gather in person safely for a memorial service for my mom.
All that being said, it’s been a brutal and depressing winter for us and everyone else, and I’m pretty anxious for it to be over.
It’s a relief hearing about people’s older family members getting vaccinated! My parents were scheduled for their second doses tomorrow but because of weather issues causing vaccine delays, they’ll have to wait a week. Drew and I both qualify in New York now for the vaccine bc of comorbidities and we happened to get very lucky finding appointments. His was yesterday, and mine is tomorrow, if supply lasts (NYC is down to only a few thousand doses and supply shipment has been delayed several days because of weather issues around the country). Now, I’m trying to find appointments for a few 65+ people I know. I wish it weren’t such a crapshoot, but I do think in the next 2-3 weeks it will be much easier for everyone. Fingers crossed.
My parents were also supposed to get their second shot today but because of delays/extreme weather in Missouri it’s been delayed. At least we got plenty of notice for them.
MG I hope your first days back from maternity leave aren’t too bad! How long did you take? I think I’m going to get about 8 weeks which just doesn’t seem long enough but ya know, mortgage and bills and stuff.
What are these comorbidities everyone has? My brother has a very high BMI, and difficulty breathing, but in MA you have to have two conditions if you’re not 65, and I don’t see another one on the list that he definitely has. He really needs a vaccine, as a delivery driver.
I feel like the way things are going it will be another month before my parents get vaccinated, longer for my brother, and probably August for me. Blah.
Each state has different eligibility criteria. In NY, if you’re under 65 you only need one of the following comorbidity to qualify (along with a doctors note or some sort of proof):
Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
Chronic kidney disease
Pulmonary Disease, including but not limited to, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome
Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of other immune weakening medicines, or other causes
Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2), Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2) Pregnancy Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain) Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer's Disease or dementia Liver disease *But then you have half the states in the country, like in Missouri, that won't vaccinate teachers yet. It's absurd.
And with such an extensive eligibility list in NY, over half the state now qualifies for the vaccine, so you’ve got 10 million people (or maybe 8 million if 2 million have already been vaccinated) vying for about 300K doses a week. If anyone in NYC is trying to get a vaccine, I have a few tips. Feel free to email me.
The Bride who is on the short side, has a BMI just over 30, which isn’t really a risk factor, but that’s where PA made the cutoff** so we felt reasonable in taking the slot.
*She has been bragging about this to others, so feel OK mentioning this. I would not normally discuss her weight.
** Many states have set it at 40, which is where the risk of severe illness is greater.
