What Will It Take? (Vaxxing, pt 4.)

 Let me answer the obvious first. 

There are those who will not be convinced, persuaded, reasoned with, ordered, bullied, or otherwise even try to become vaccinated. Not against covid, not against flu, not against shingles, measles, mumps, diphtheria, rubella, polio, tetanus, or anything else. 

They have already decided.

They have already made up their minds.

They know all there is to know about it, no matter what variations come along and no matter what new discoveries, or prognoses come along. 

They have made up their decision. 

This is not for or about them. There are many people out there still studying, still wishing, still wanting to, but...

This is to give them a voice, however small.

One of the biggest changes in administration of the covid vaccine is that now the more at risk people are being encouraged to go for it. After time has shown a good 'protection' record -- not necessarily prevention -- and that the vaccine itself poses less -- but not zero -- risk of contracting the illness, it's been decided by medical professionals that the risk is on the side of vaccines. 

There are always risks. People -- persons -- are individual and react individually. DNA and environment and nutritional and attitude all combine to make the reaction to heal or to hell. 

THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES.

There never have been. 

However.

What is stopping those that want to, but?

Here are a few answers.

The vaccines are usually mostly available in high traffic areas. Usually in or around pharmacies or hospital/clinics where sick people gather. 

Even with an appointment, you have to wait. 

In crowds.

Of sick people.

This is not a good idea for anyone who is even partially at risk for contagion.

Another problem is that there are no clear protocols for how/when/where to go once you reach the facility. 

In the pharmacy, do you go to sign in at the drop-off for prescriptions, at the pick-up for prescriptions, in the waiting area with no window? Or somewhere else entirely? And remember that each of these areas will probably be filled with coughing, sneezing, feverish, sweating, people who don't want to be there either.

In a facility, do you go to admitting, or through an ER or Urgent Care, or maybe straight to the lab? Do you, as a patient, know where any or all of these areas are? 

Why do the signs say "Walk-ins welcome. Make an appointment first."?

Are the hours posted clearly? 

Is there anyone working that specific area during the posted hours? Or are the 'preventive' people  having to mingle with the contagious ones?

Why is everyone saying  free with no insurance necessary, and the next line reads, bring your insurance cards?

At this point, especially with the alphabetically named surges shoving each other out of the way, it seems/feels/is more endangering to go out in search of the vaccine than it is to stay home, mask, sanitize, and ding-dong-ditch deliveries.

After nearly two years, and now that out efforts have turned to the more at-risk persons, can we not have some logical organization that applies to everyone? If only signs at each establishment specifying each step needed. 

Not sign-in at pharmacy.  Sign in at row b line 3. 

Not go straight to lab with orders; only to be worked-in in-between patients who do have orders. 

These things were done better at first, but the organizations seem to have fallen away as we are getting down to the people who need it the most.

Let's fix this, so that everyone who WANTS to, CAN DO.

Strange New World

 I think everyone can agree, at least here in the US, that this year has changed the world. Changed the norms. "They" keep talking about the "New Normal" -- which is a long way from normal, and isn't even all the new. It's just never affected so much population at the same time, largely because there has never been so much population at the same time before. 

The big thing for us all -- the world -- has been the pandemic; the covid; the coronavirus; the new plague; the new SARS. Whatever you want to call it. 

But it wasn't the only thing. The year started off wrong before then. Schools were already closing because people were getting sick, but this sickness in these great numbers has absolutely noithing to do with the one that came along later.

Australia was on fire. 

There have been eclipses and earthquakes. There have been floods and even more fires. (Last I knew, Colorado was still burning.) There have been killer hornets and hurricanes. There have been Supermoons and Micromoons and blue moons. Wearing -- or not wearing -- a face mask became a civil right, while people are still being denied housing or help or work and being waited on. 

I'm forgetting a lot. 

No doubt come the end of the year, everyone will have lists and stories and who-knows-what. 

The scary thing is there's still seven weeks for even more fun to be had. 

This week alone we've had elections and reactions and Boston was shaken.  Who knows what the future still has for us?

Many people have died.

Some have been born, yes. 

Births and Deaths, the most universal of human experiences were, for a while, legislated to be done alone, with no family near; with no loved ones attending. 

Imagine having ONLY strangers to share your most intimate, most human moments with no one of your own. You may not even know their names, and because of masks, you definitely don't know their faces.

Too many of these deaths were NOT caused by Covid. 

Too many of these had nothing to do with the Great Illness.

They were dying of normla things. Flu, and emphysema, and liver failure, and kidney failure. Aneurysms and strokes and hemorrhages murders and suicides. 

Accidents and terminal diseases. 

My oldest daughter died of a cancer of unknown origin. 

In approximately six weeks, she went from having achy legs to be dead. 

And I couldn't be there for her, in person. In myself. 

I couldn't talk with her -- she lost her voice. 

I couldn't hold her hand.

I couldn't say good-bye, let alone sit with her as she left us all forever.

This is unforgettable.

This is unforgiveable.