Pfizer Booster

It was such a harrowing time a year ago. The anticipation of getting COVID vaccines was paramount for both my husband and myself. Because of age, my husband got his first - through our doctor’s office. A month later I got mine at the Health department. We both needed to have appointments, and things were pretty organized given the state of things. Now it’s been over six months and it’s time to get a booster. Things are different now than then - people are tired of hearing about it, and for our part, we follow the guidelines. Being in health care gives us a different perspective. Seeing the exhausted workforce makes us feel sad. Last week we stopped at the Giant pharmacy to get our flu shots. While we were there we took home the paperwork to fill in the forms to get the covid vaccine. It would save time, and the person who gave us the shots said morning would be the best time. So this morning, rather than take our morning walk, we drove over to Giant with our paperwork and vaccine cards. There was one person in front of us. We were attended to, got a number, and did a bit of grocery shopping. When the number came up, we got back in line. The same person who gave us the flu shot last week gave us the covid vaccines today. It feels odd to become friends with the pharmacy staff. Anyway, it was an uneventful outing. And that’s how it should be. 

It’s Done - Fairfax County Health Department Second Covid Vaccine

I have to admit that I was anxious whenever I heard my Florida high school classmates and Wisconsin friends were all getting vaccinated for covid. My husband got his first vaccine in January. I registered with the Fairfax county health department on January 18 and received my first Pfizer vaccine on Valentine’s Day - two days after my husband received his second Moderna dose. So yesterday was the long awaited second dose day and we didn’t have to deal with an ice storm this time. The parking lot was full, but everything was in motion. As we pulled in to our spot I received the text message to let them know we were in the parking lot. Shortly thereafter we were asked to enter the building. As was with the first dose, the process was seamless - except this time we needed to wait in line for a very short time. It felt like being in the queue at Disneyworld that included that same excitement. The whole experience was very pleasant from start to finish. All of the staff make you feel most welcome and are extremely kind. Since we haven’t interacted with anyone for a year it does feel weird just being inside of a building. Everyone was so polite and warm. After waiting for the 15 minutes following the injection, we drove back home. The most difficult part this time was the unexpected traffic on a Sunday afternoon for a 4:45 appointment and the fact that my arm is sore at the injection site. I’m expecting side effects but so far so good. I am filling in the “v-safe” questionnaire every day. So in two weeks an immunity milestone will be met. I’m not sure how much it will change our behavior, but I am so relieved and thankful that my husband and I had this opportunity.