Monday, January 11, 2021

Winning the Lottery

The system in Sarasota County for Covid vaccine distribution is quite bizarre, with tickets being made available on Eventbrite in small groups and selling out in seconds. Last Sunday, 800 tickets were going on at 3:30 in the afternoon. I signed on to the Department of Health site for the first time to check it out, and 60 seconds later I got a ticket and printed it out for the next day. So I went last Monday, got the Moderna vaccine, and returned home. I cleared my calendar for a few days in case I had side effects.

As it turns out, there were 167,000 people signed on at the same time for one of those 800 vaccines!!! It was in all the press. And I had no side effects whatsoever. Not even a sore arm. I feel like I won the lottery. I have my second shot in three weeks and I will be a huge step closer to life returning to normal. And my daughter should be receiving hers in Virginia any day.

I may have to start playing the Florida lottery.

P.S. Two important tips to help avoid side effects after the vaccine.

1. Drink plenty of water starting immediately after the injection for several days.

2. Move you arm around immediately to increase blood flow and oxygen to the muscle. They will likely not tell you this. I ended up teaching 50 strangers in recovery how to do this - raise you arm and do big circles - I did this in the 15 minute recovery period and every few minutes for several hours and had ZERO redness, inflammation or soreness, and the vast majority of people do.
 

21 comments:

  1. That is so great! I am so happy for you. Did you have to present ID, proof of age, etc.? I am in California and a friend of mine was offered $3,000 for to take his place to get the vaccine. He didn't take it , but I am sure some did. Mady

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    1. Thank you. It was extremely well run. Yes, you had to present a driver's license or passport.

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  2. You DID win the lottery! Good for you! I get my first dose of the Covid vaccine today in Naples, and can't wait to start feeling like my life has some semblance of order again.

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    1. Good for you. I have heard from others that it is very well run in Naples.

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  3. Wow! You are sure living in a very different Florida than I am.

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    1. I was very fortunate as I said. I know this is not typical.

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  4. I am so happy for you and these are great tips that I was not aware of. Hopefully we will all be getting vaccinated soon.

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    1. I hope so too. The roll out has been ridiculously slow.

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  5. Congrats! I'm so happy you got the first dose of vaccine! You are on a lucky streak. It's true what you say about moving the arm around and drinking lots of water. Since I'm right handed, I always insist on getting vaccines in my right arm. That way I'm using the arm more even without thinking about it.

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    1. Smart getting it in your right arm - I got scared about 93% of people getting a sore arm and got it in my left but moved it so much and even exercised that day, so it made no difference, but I will do that for my second. Thanks!

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  6. Thanks for the tips! Will do this whenever my turn comes...

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  7. Fabulous! FYI it’s usually the second vaccination that gives you the immune response, my family all had no reaction to the first vaccination but symptoms after the second, so it may be a good idea to plan accordingly.

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    1. I will, thanks. But the injection site reaction happens in a high percentage with both, and this will help to avoid it.

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  8. You are fortunate indeed. My husband and I are in our late 60s and we don't expect to get the vaccine offered to us in California until at least March.

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  9. Congratulations! Here it's like Whack-a-Mole. The Health Department, Cleveland Clinic, churches, country clubs (yes, that's right) have all given vaccines but appointments are all gone before most people find out about them.

    They've had 10 months to think about how they would roll out the vaccine but it seems to have taken them by surprise and they have no idea how to provide vaccines in an orderly fashion. It is unsurprising that Frito Lay could introduce a new corn chip and distribute it to whomever wants it more reliably than our governor can get vaccines to his citizens. He's too busy being the head tourism ambassador. Enjoy your newfound freedom, but continue to wear a mask!

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    1. So true. The worst is our idiot governor allowing Canadians to get our doses. I will change nothing - I think we will be wearing masks for a very long time. It will just be nice to go grocery shopping and the like and not worry about dying from it.

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  10. Wow. I’m a classroom teacher in Miami but we are not valued enough to be given the opportunity yet to receive the vaccine. Our “esteemed” governor decided that over 65 folks have first shot. ( Frontline workers also but again teachers are not frontline material) The websites for seniors close out in a matter of minutes.

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    1. The system is completely nuts - so is our governor - I just got lucky.

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  11. We haven't even started giving the vaccine here in Australia, so I am rather envious of all of the countries that have already started. We don't have many cases here and they are paranoid that we keep it that way, so the minute someone gets COVID, the whole state shuts down, people are stranded at state borders because they went camping in a remote part of a state that has been declared a hotspot with 12 cases, even though their holiday was 400 kms away! It is crazy and very damaging for businesses. I live on a state border and our businesses are in freefall after the dreadful fires in our region this time last year then all vacation periods last year being in total lockdown and curfews, and now more lockdowns. We have only 3 locally acquired cases in the whole of Australia with only 312 active cases almost all from overseas Australians returning here with COVID and only 40 of them in hospital in the WHOLE of Australia. I guess we are less needing of the vaccine, but it would be wonderful to be able to plan holidays in Australia and not have them cancelled because the border has closed again, and for our businesses to have some chance of survival!

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