Covid Vaccine Distribution

[Calico]

Just got a text stating NC will be open to all adults on April 7th.

Thank you for this update!! While I am vaccinated (65 yo) I have many younger friends and family members here in NC who have been waiting for the "everyone else" category to open up.

 

[harllee]

Thank you for this update!! While I am vaccinated (65 yo) I have many younger friends and family members here in NC who have been waiting for the "everyone else" category to open up.

Calico it seems that there is plenty of availability in NC right now and some places are already giving vaccines to everyone.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Calico it seems that there is plenty of availability in NC right now and some places are already giving vaccines to everyone.

Not so much in western NC. Vaccination sites are organized as can be, but still don't have enough supply.

I signed up a month ago and no call, email or text. Just for reference, I am in the last group. Who would have thought that good health is a bad thing?

I am content to wait until my turn.

 

[harllee]

Not so much in western NC. Vaccination sites are organized as can be, but still don't have enough supply.

I signed up a month ago and no call, email or text. Just for reference, I am in the last group. Who would have thought that good health is a bad thing?

I am content to wait until my turn.

Dreamer, if you are willing to travel to other areas of NC to get your vaccine, send me a private message and I will give you some suggestions

 

[Poopycat]

I am officially vaccinated!!!

I had registered on just about every site I could think of. I thought I would have to wait until July to get the vaccine since I’m at the bottom of the heap on the priority list. But on Wednesday evening the city health department sent an email inviting me to register for a mass vaccination event near me. I thought I might be getting scammed because there are so many people on the waiting list and Tier 3 hasn’t officially opened yet. But I looked at the news and yes, indeed, there were two mass vaccinations scheduled. So I registered.

I was expecting a long wait this morning because the line was literally a mile long for yesterday’s event. A local TV station filmed the line so I know it was not a joke about being a mile long. People were waiting 2-3 hours to get to the front of the line.

When I found the place where the line started, I headed to the end of the line but some kind volunteer must have felt sorry for me or something because she escorted me to a special area where there was no wait! The national guardswoman who was checking people in asked for my ID and directed me to sit down and fill out paperwork. The moment I completed it, two ladies came by, one to check the paperwork and the other to jab my arm. I was told to wait 15 minutes and then I walked back to the car (there were people driving golf carts who offered the newly vaccinated a ride back to their cars but I felt fine so I walked).

Everybody was friendly and efficient. I arrived at 9:17 and was released at 9:44. And I feel a sense of relief and happiness, knowing that in a couple of weeks I’ll be able to start returning to a greater sense of normalcy.

BTW I got the J&J. I had been hoping for one of the two-shot vaccines but it looks like J&J is just as effective against severe cases and I am all done after one shot so I am happy to have gotten the J&J.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Dreamer, if you are willing to travel to other areas of NC to get your vaccine, send me a private message and I will give you some suggestions

I don't know what button you pushed, but at 7:55 AM you posted the above. At 11:54 AM, I received an email invitation to sign up. I am now getting my first dose on April 1st. Thanks, harllee!

 

[harllee]

I don't know what button you pushed, but at 7:55 AM you posted the above. At 11:54 AM, I received an email invitation to sign up. I am now getting my first dose on April 1st. Thanks, harllee!

It's just magic a guess--a vaccine whisperer.

 

[gayl]

... I had been hoping for one of the two-shot vaccines but it looks like J&J is just as effective against severe cases and I am all done after one shot so I am happy to have gotten the J&J.

Actually J&J did extremely well against 2 main variants (SA & Brazil).

 

[Leo1277]

We had a frustrating experience today. We signed up for one of these state or county lists (can't remember which one this is) here in FL something like four weeks ago, and then didn't hear from them anymore until today, when we got a text message saying that we can sign up.

But that was apparently more a theoretical statement than a practical one. When I entered, I was number 7,657 in line (see first screenshot). I watched for a while, and from the speed with which the numbers were decreasing, it was about a ten hour wait. I checked back periodically, but finally got a message that apparently my number had come, but my 10 minute window to sign up has now lapsed. But I am welcome to join the queue again at the end (see second screenshot). Bah!

 

[Breedlove]

Wow , in Texas they are jabbing everyone and anyone . I Said earlier people make an appointment then don’t show so they go grab a body. So funny an old rancher out here didn’t know how to get an appointment . Didn’t have access to the net . He didn’t text so one of the kids took him to Brookshire Brothers grocery and got him jabbed. He feels he is part of the gang now.

 

[Telly]

DFW area. Texas has opened up vax to all adults, estimate is this will add at least 10 million more people to vaccinate. But at the same time, some of the hubs in the DFW area have announced that they will be shutting down soon. The hub that DW and I used were running 2,000 per day when they had vaccine to give. They said that they are seeing a sharp increase in last-minute cancellations, and no-shows. Next week's signups will be their last. Then they will only be open to give second doses to those that got their first doses there, then gone.

Supposedly, vax is going to be available at many Dr. offices and pharmacies. So it is going to splinter to small amounts of vax splattered wherever, which these small providers may or may not get week to week.

Within 15 miles of us, there was ONE pharmacy that got 100 doses. Woo hoo.
It sure is going to take a lot of pharmacies to replace even one hub! I don't think the pharmacy chains have thought this through. Let's say they can vax one person every 10 minutes, and run 12 hours a day (that's a lot of open staffed hours for a pharmacy!). That's 6 per hour times 12 hours... a measely 72 vax a day! A drop in the bucket! What happens to their regular business in the meantime? When I get a shot at a pharmacy, it takes them longer than 10 minutes, that's for sure.

They lose economy of scale, regularity of procedure, etc. etc. I'm not saying that getting Covid-19 vax at a pharmacy is a bad idea, but rather a well-run hub site pumps people through in volume so fast!

Oh... this week's signup for the hub that we had gone to for ours, lasted 15 minutes online, for 4,000 doses. The demand is certainly here! Let's see... how many pharmacies are needed to give 4,000 shots total in a couple/few days? And how about the hubs running 11,780 doses per event week?

 

[bbbamI]

Yep Telly, the hub in our city will be closing down too.

Even thought dh and I have been vaccinated, I feel for others. They 'the hub' have 180k people signed up to get email alerts to set up an appointment. Now those folks will have to scramble to find other places to get vaccinated.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow , in Texas they are jabbing everyone and anyone . I Said earlier people make an appointment then don’t show so they go grab a body. So funny an old rancher out here didn’t know how to get an appointment . Didn’t have access to the net . He didn’t text so one of the kids took him to Brookshire Brothers grocery and got him jabbed. He feels he is part of the gang now.

Old rancher - above 50 I expect, so already eligible. Plus any age restrictions go away in 2 days. Better grabbing bodies than wasting vaccine. Shame on those who didn’t cancel their appointment and did a no show!

 

[audreyh1]

DFW area. Texas has opened up vax to all adults, estimate is this will add at least 10 million more people to vaccinate. But at the same time, some of the hubs in the DFW area have announced that they will be shutting down soon. The hub that DW and I used were running 2,000 per day when they had vaccine to give. They said that they are seeing a sharp increase in last-minute cancellations, and no-shows. Next week's signups will be their last. Then they will only be open to give second doses to those that got their first doses there, then gone.

Supposedly, vax is going to be available at many Dr. offices and pharmacies. So it is going to splinter to small amounts of vax splattered wherever, which these small providers may or may not get week to week.

Within 15 miles of us, there was ONE pharmacy that got 100 doses. Woo hoo.
It sure is going to take a lot of pharmacies to replace even one hub! I don't think the pharmacy chains have thought this through. Let's say they can vax one person every 10 minutes, and run 12 hours a day (that's a lot of open staffed hours for a pharmacy!). That's 6 per hour times 12 hours... a measely 72 vax a day! A drop in the bucket! What happens to their regular business in the meantime? When I get a shot at a pharmacy, it takes them longer than 10 minutes, that's for sure.

They lose economy of scale, regularity of procedure, etc. etc. I'm not saying that getting Covid-19 vax at a pharmacy is a bad idea, but rather a well-run hub site pumps people through in volume so fast!

Oh... this week's signup for the hub that we had gone to for ours, lasted 15 minutes online, for 4,000 doses. The demand is certainly here! Let's see... how many pharmacies are needed to give 4,000 shots total in a couple/few days? And how about the hubs running 11,780 doses per event week?

That’s really too bad about the no-shows and cancellations. I had to re-register with UT-RGV, a major vaccine hub, and now I wonder if this will happen with them. I never had a opportunity to make an appointment with them, but then I was only eligible about 2 weeks ago. And I suspected that my original registration from late Dec had gone poof as the weekly email updates had stopped mid Feb. I reregistered a week ago when I finally had a chance. They were only allowing 10,000 new registrants at a time then working through them.

But miraculously I was able to make an appointment at a pharmacy not too far from home. Super tight supply in the RGV. Normally there is only very spotty availability at various pharmacy companies 100+ miles north. Alice TX, Corpus Christi or Rockport, etc. Most of the time there is only availability in Odessa or Lubbock! (450 and 550 miles straight line distance from home)

I think our county is still running vaccine clinics, but I could never get their registration page to come up, probably because all booked.

Yep Telly, the hub in our city will be closing down too.

Even thought dh and I have been vaccinated, I feel for others. They 'the hub' have 180k people signed up to get email alerts to set up an appointment. Now those folks will have to scramble to find other places to get vaccinated.

Wow - that’s terrible! Waiting, and waiting. Then a new scramble!

Well this will definitely show up in the statistics of how many Texans are getting vaccinated. And considering that Monday 3/29 all age restrictions are dropped this timing is terrible!

 

[sengsational]

It may be patchwork between all of the states, but compared to the world, the US is doing fantastic! The rate is quite amazing to me. The magnitude of the supply and staff that have been mobilized show what can be done when there's money to be made.

 

[cathy63]

California opens to 50+ on April 1, which includes DH. I checked around yesterday and noticed that most places had their schedules published up to March 29, but Walgreens was up to March 31. So first thing this morning I got on their site and looked for an April 1 appointment for DH. Success! They also automatically booked the second dose for April 29, so I guess he'll be getting Moderna.

 

[Ready]

California opens to 50+ on April 1, which includes DH. I checked around yesterday and noticed that most places had their schedules published up to March 29, but Walgreens was up to March 31. So first thing this morning I got on their site and looked for an April 1 appointment for DH. Success! They also automatically booked the second dose for April 29, so I guess he'll be getting Moderna.

I checked both Walgreens and CVS and both said I’m not eligible because I’m not 65+. What am I missing?

 

[Lagniappe]

California opens to 50+ on April 1, which includes DH. I checked around yesterday and noticed that most places had their schedules published up to March 29, but Walgreens was up to March 31. So first thing this morning I got on their site and looked for an April 1 appointment for DH. Success! They also automatically booked the second dose for April 29, so I guess he'll be getting Moderna.

Walgreens automatically booked my Pfizer Vaccine for 28 days out, so don't assume you are getting Moderna. They won't let me change it online until I reach day 20, for some reason.

 

[stepford]

I checked both Walgreens and CVS and both said I’m not eligible because I’m not 65+. What am I missing?

I don't necessarily recommend this, but I think some folks misstate their eligibility when they make their appointments knowing that they will be eligible by the appointment date. One can certainly make an appointment this way, but I'm not sure if the vaccine provider will honor the appointment once the date arrives. I suspect they would, but wouldn't gamble on it if you can get an appointment without resorting to this approach.

 

[ivinsfan]

Walgreens automatically booked my Pfizer Vaccine for 28 days out, so don't assume you are getting Moderna. They won't let me change it online until I reach day 20, for some reason.

Why do you want to change it, it's not necessary. I wouldn't take the chance of not getting one

 

[harllee]

Regarding people not showing up for appointments--I wonder if most of them are folks who where able to get an appointment somewhere else closer to home or earlier and just did not cancel the other appointment. One issue here is that it is difficult sometime to cancel an appointment --no easy way to do that and the phone lines are tied up.

 

[cathy63]

I checked both Walgreens and CVS and both said I’m not eligible because I’m not 65+. What am I missing?

For Walgreens:
1. Have an account already registered with them.
2. Start from here: https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19
3. When you get to the eligibility screen, fill it out as in the attached screenshot.
4. The next screen is 4 questions about whether you have an auth code and any covid symptoms. I answered all of them "No".

After that it's pretty straightforward to select the date and time for the appointment.

I see that there are no appointments available in San Diego any longer (I got this screenshot by entering Fresno in the search), but when I did it around 6:00 AM today there were at least 20 slots available at the store that's about 6 miles away. We have a Walgreens that's only 5 blocks from home, but they didn't show on the appointment search list yesterday or today, so my guess is not all of their stores are participating.

 

[Aerides]

Walgreens automatically booked my Pfizer Vaccine for 28 days out, so don't assume you are getting Moderna. They won't let me change it online until I reach day 20, for some reason.

I think that's their standard way - it's totally fine to do it at day 28, anywhere from 21 to 42 days is completely acceptable. I would not mess with it (I'm not, and I'm in the same boat).

 

[Ready]

For Walgreens:
1. Have an account already registered with them.
2. Start from here: https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19
3. When you get to the eligibility screen, fill it out as in the attached screenshot.
4. The next screen is 4 questions about whether you have an auth code and any covid symptoms. I answered all of them "No".

After that it's pretty straightforward to select the date and time for the appointment.

I see that there are no appointments available in San Diego any longer (I got this screenshot by entering Fresno in the search), but when I did it around 6:00 AM today there were at least 20 slots available at the store that's about 6 miles away. We have a Walgreens that's only 5 blocks from home, but they didn't show on the appointment search list yesterday or today, so my guess is not all of their stores are participating.

That works - thanks Cathy!!

 

[Leo1277]

I checked both Walgreens and CVS and both said I’m not eligible because I’m not 65+. What am I missing?

I tried repeatedly to get appointments at CVS, and that's what happened to me. I was logged in to my CVS account, which has my correct age, and I was eligible even on the day I wanted to do the reservation; but CVS kept telling me I am too young. I could never figure it out and went to Walmart.