COVID vaccine Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

I can’t get a COVID shot, can I?

I want my COVID shot!

I can’t get a COVID shot, can I? Well, not yet. From MedPage Today: Getting a COVID Shot Just Became Much More Difficult. Here’s why. State statutes and clashing recommendations create challenges for pharmacists and patients.

LA Times: “In recent years, the federal government’s recommendation for COVID vaccines was simple: Everyone age 6 months and up should get an updated shot in the fall.

“This year, however, under the leadership of the vaccine skeptic HHS Secretary RFK Jr…” – who got grilled yesterday at a Senate hearing – “the FDA only ‘approved’ the updated vaccines for people age 65 and up, as well as younger people with at least one health condition that puts them at high risk for severe COVID should they get infected.” He picked seven new members for the CDC’s vaccine panel this week, at least five of whom are vaccine skeptics.

After reading this article in the New York Times, “CVS and Walgreens Clamp Down on COVID-19 Vaccines in Many States,” I sighed. How has this regime managed to screw up something that was working?

The subhead: “State laws and regulatory chaos are driving the country’s largest pharmacy chains to require prescriptions or hold back altogether unless a C.D.C. panel acts.”

The Times Union notes that with the new FDA ruling and CDC panel upheaval, it’s ‘purgatory’ for COVID-19 vaccines.

I want my COVID shot!

I went to the CVS portal. It notes, “In patients aged 65 years and older selecting Moderna pharmacy stores, mNEXSPIKE (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) will be administered.” Ooo, I’m over 65!

But the site indicates: “Vaccine(s) unavailable. Due to state restrictions or inventory, we’re unable to schedule your vaccine(s). Update your selection(s) or try a new location.” I was in Massachusetts last weekend, dropping off the daughter, but I can’t get one there at all.

My county health department’s page indicates they give COVID shots! Let’s try that! Well, not yet; the county hasn’t gotten its supply and may not until early October.

Wait! I just learned that New York Governor Kathy Hochul plans to sign an executive order allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

Let me be clear. I think the new COVID policies for those under 65 are… what’s that medical term? Oh, yeah, stupid. For instance, a vaccine is “approved for kids 6 months to 4 years with a high-risk condition.” But as Celine Goundar, CBS News medical contributor and the editor at large for public health at KFF Health News, noted, being under two definitely makes babies more vulnerable to disease.

I want my COVID shot!

I wrote A LOT about COVID on this blog, most recently in March 2025. My first COVID shot was on March 2nd, 2021, at the CVS on Central Ave, and my second shot three weeks later. This allowed me to have lunch with three of my oldest friends.

Subsequently, I’ve gotten three or four shots at various CVS locations. (Hmm, the CVS locations on Central, Madison, and Western in Albany, where I have gotten the vaccines, have all closed. Is this somehow my fault?)

My family contracted COVID-19 in August 2022, but it was relatively mild. One of my wife’s colleagues got COVID in late August 2025, so it’s still out there. The CDC noted: “As of August 26, 2025, we estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 31 states, declining or likely declining in 4 states, and not changing in 12 states.”

I’m getting a flu shot this week at a CVS, thank you very much.

Entities are developing workarounds. Again from MedPage Today:

Amid the Chaos, Medical Community Pieces Together Replacements for CDC’s Lost Work— But outside efforts don’t have the framework that has underpinned the public health system.

Oregon, Washington, and California formed a health care alliance to protect vaccine access. But none of this should have been necessary.

Slavery?

In non-COVID news, from the BBC: “Florida is aiming to become the first US state to cancel all of its vaccine mandates, many of which require children to get jabs against diseases like polio to attend public schools. The state’s top health official, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, likened the mandates to ‘slavery’ in announcing the plans. ‘Who am I to tell you what your child should put in your body?’ he said. ‘I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God.'”

Ah, God will provide. “In Florida, students are currently required to be vaccinated against multiple illnesses, including chicken pox, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and polio.”

As I mentioned on Facebook, there’s a certain irony that while discussions about actual slavery are either discouraged or portrayed as relatively benign – see Florida governor Ron DeSantis in 2023 – the opportunity for children to get polio (Bring Back the Iron Lung!) is seen as “freedom.”

Thanksgiving for the COVID vaccine

books and music

Without a doubt, it is Thanksgiving for the COVID vaccine.

Because of the vaccine, I could go out to eat with my friends, such as Carol, Karen, Bill, Michael, Cecily, John, and Mary, as well as my wife and daughters.

My church is meeting in person as of June 20, as well as on Facebook. The choir has restarted rehearsals in person as of October 10, with only fully vaccinated people, which is everyone.

The Wizard’s Wardrobe is a program, started by two members of my church. “Children spend time with a special tutor just for them — to read, write, and explore the wonderful world of books. My wife and I attended the Readers Theater benefit on October 4. The featured readers included William Kennedy, Brendan Kennedy, Joseph Bruchac, Elizabeth Brundage, Ashley Charleston, Ted Walker, and Ayah Osman.

The Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library had its Literary Legends Gala on October 16. I got to tell Bill Kennedy that I heard him and his son read from Charlie Malarkey and the Belly-Button Machine (1986), 12 days earlier. Last year’s event was online, while this one was a hybrid.

I wouldn’t have been comfortable going to my high school reunion or certainly taking the bus home without the Pfizer shots. Yes, it’s a Thanksgiving for the COVID vaccine.

In spite of

As much as I complained about ZOOM and its ilk I’m thankful for the chance to have participated in the Thursday Bible study group. I got to see my niece Rebecca Jade perform over a half dozen times, including with Dave Koz.

I streamed some movies, not the best way for me to view them. But I got to see ALL of the Oscar-nominated shorts. Usually, I get to watch only a fraction of those films because they don’t all make it to this market.

I’m still on ZOOM for the Tuesday Bible guys, the Dads group, and certain church meetings. My sisters, in two different states, and I in a third, meet at least three weeks out of four. The Olin reunions took place remotely.

Lessee, what else?

I’m fiscally solvent. This allows me to order things via mail order, such as all of those blue masks and music that I don’t REALLY need but want. I also got a bunch of baseball books from Jack’s widow and music from the collection of my late father-in-law.

I had a brief but significant moment of mutual forgiveness with an old friend.

My mother-in-law lives much closer. This makes her and her daughter mighty happy.

I’m glad that Arthur and Kelly and fillyjonk and others are still blogging. Chuck Miller is still plugging other blogs each Saturday.

I’m sure there’s more, but this will do for the nonce.

Vaccine incentive: donuts to college

free stuff

I’m OK with the COVID-19 vaccine incentive programs. So is the White House. The programs range from free donuts and beer to lottery tickets to select free passes to attractions.

Still, I was just a tad put off by the fact that many of the incentives were only for the newly vaccinated. (Sidebar: a previously resistant local columnist got kudos for changing their mind and deciding to get the vaccine. Meh.)

Yeah, yeah, getting the injections as soon as I could was its own reward. Second Pfizer shot on March 24, for the record, back in the old days when people were actually in line to receive it.

So, I’m pleased that New York State is offering a Vaccination Scholarship Incentive. “Enter your vaccinated 12-17-year-old for a chance to win a full scholarship to a SUNY or CUNY school.” I believe we have one of those in our household. Yup, under 18, vaccinated the second time in mid-April. So I signed up.

“Get a shot to make your future. New Yorkers age 12 to 17 who get vaccinated (or already have gotten vaccinated) can enter for a chance to win a 4-year full-ride scholarship to any public college or university in New York State. Fifty total winners will be chosen at five random drawings. The scholarship includes full tuition, room, and board, as well as an allowance for books and supplies. Parents can learn more here.”

American football

Oh, and here’s something potentially for me, as noted in the Boston Globe: “Starting June 1, you could score a VIP trip to Super Bowl LVI along with your COVID-19 vaccine at CVS. Woonsocket-based CVS Health announced… that eligible customers who received or plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccination through one of their retail pharmacies will be able to enter into their new sweepstakes program for a chance to win one of more than a thousand prizes. The winners will be chosen through weekly drawings and grand prizes over the next six weeks.”

Note to self: go to this site today. I’m going to the Super Bowl! OK, probably not. Where IS the Super Bowl next year anyway? Near Los Angeles.

Regardless, I hope this governmental and corporate bribery of the citizenry works to get more shots in arms.

Vaccine hesitancy in America

older technology = new vaccine

Although my family is fully Pfizerized, I worry about vaccine hesitancy. A lot actually. A couple of weeks ago, my daughter ended up walking her reluctant friend to an injection site. And the friend’s family has no one else who is vaccinated. This in spite of an increasing supply and eligibility for everyone 16 and older.

And I know they are hardly the only ones.

The situation is made worse by certain elected officials. US Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), for instance. “The science tells us the vaccines are 95% effective. So if you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not? What is it to you? You’ve got a vaccine and science is telling you it’s very, very effective. So why is this big push to make sure everybody gets a vaccine?”

Science!

So I contacted one of my friends, who is a health policy wonk, for help. They pointed me to some articles. This one from the AMA advises physicians on how to combat vaccine hesitancy. “Researchers have studied and worked with this type of vaccine for decades, not just the past 10 months.”

A good point, since it traditionally has taken 5-10 years to get a new vaccine. And that appears to be the #1 factor in the hesitancy.

The decade-long work of Dr. Peter Hotez at Baylor, who my friend finds very credible, may be helpful. Read how SARS and MERS vaccine research led to COVID-19 vax.

See also the CEO of Pfizer on Developing a Vaccine in Record Time.

The next piece is more of a scientific paper than for the general population. “On the basis of this knowledge, and information gained from preclinical studies with SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV13, the spike protein was identified as an antigenic target for the development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 at a very early stage.” This saved the scientists a whole lot of time.

Separately, the Vlogbrothers have used their four-minute video platform to try to persuade. I think the emotional empathy by John Green – “shame doesn’t work” – may be more effective than the rational logic of Hank Green, neither of whom are related to me, but see both.

Also, watch 24 minutes of John Oliver and peruse Doonesbury.

If that weren’t enough

Some folks who are fully vaccinated nevertheless “have been diagnosed with what epidemiologists call ‘breakthrough cases.’ These infections are rare and entirely expected; the three vaccines cleared for emergency use provided robust protection in clinical trials, but they aren’t perfect.” And I fear the 10-day pause in using the Johnson and Johnson vaccine will create even more resistance to all of the shots.

The Boston Globe reports that some folks are “getting their hands on blank CDC vaccination confirmation cards and filling them in with false information. “Some have made a cottage industry of it, posting blank cards for sale on eBay.” Reprehensible and dangerous for us all.

“While a large number of Americans are being vaccinated daily nationwide, health officials are recommending we still follow safety measures including social distancing. But despite the recommendations and the known benefits of social distancing in stopping the spread of COVID-19, some individuals refuse to follow precautions and resort to violence when confronted…. a high school hockey coach died after being punched outside of a bar in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 17 following an argument about social distancing, the Star Tribune reported.”

Here’s the CDC Provisional Mortality Data for the United States, 2020. Complex stuff, so give the agency a break, OK?

Be safe. And stylish, like this young man. And listen to heart surgeon and Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), who says that getting the shot is the “best way to end the government’s restrictions on our freedoms.” Hey, whatever works.

Lydster: COVID vaccine procurement

Albany Public Library and Mohawk Ambulance

Recently in this blog, I noted the vagaries of COVID vaccine procurement. I had my first shot scheduled for March 31 at the UAlbany campus, when unexpectedly, I got an appointment at CVS on March 3.

Likewise, I had nailed down for my daughter her first shot for April 17 at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany. Then on March 26, my wife received a text that there would be a pop-up vaccination site the very next day. She’d gotten a text from the Albany Housing Authority a month earlier that she should sign up, though she doesn’t recall how that occurred.

As she was heading for a meeting, she gave me the URL, but it didn’t work. Slightly panicky that the window of opportunity would close, I called the site, the Arbor Hill/West Hill library branch, and spoke to a librarian who I know. He knew the event was taking place but none of the details; I’m sure, as a librarian, that had to bug him. It would have frustrated me.

When my wife was free, she got a second website that DID work, and I got my daughter an appointment. And just in time, because the six-hour window (9-3) was down to about an hour.

The process

Since my wife was going to Oneonta to pick up her mother and take her to Cooperstown for her second injection, my daughter and I needed to take public transportation. We took the #106 CDTA bus, which was the #138 the last time I took it who knows how long ago. It dropped us off at Livingston and Henry Johnson, a couple of short blocks from the library.

One of the things my daughter does that I admire is giving extremely wide berth to those folks we walked past who were not wearing masks. My sense is that these people are on the uptick in Albany, commensurate with COVID cases inching up statewide.

The line was short, and we went through fairly quickly. The event was run by Mohawk Ambulance. Though the information from the website did not specify, I knew I had to go to the table with my daughter because she’s under 18. There were about 10 tables in all, each with someone to register, and another to give the injection.

My registrar was kind but technologically impaired. Fortunately, her teenage daughter was also there to assist her. I offered my daughter’s non-driver’s ID; as I expected, she was confounded. This was because the picture was of my daughter at about the age of six. While the ID is still valid, she hardly looks the same except to me. I was glad I asked my daughter to bring her high school ID. While not an official item, it was sufficient for the registrant.

Easy

Next, I handed the registrant the letter from my daughter’s doctor. It noted that she “has medical conditions that meet current criteria for vaccination under the Phased Distribution of the Vaccine set forth by the NYS Department as seen at” this website. I pre-emptively said, “Sufficiently vague, eh?” I could have noted the need for the doctor to respect the HIPAA requirements of his patient, but I thought of this later.

After the injection, we were supposed to wait for 10-15 minutes. Mayor Kathy Sheehan was there. She said her husband had gotten his injection at the site an hour earlier. We walked to the #12 bus, rode it, then walked home. Eighty minutes from leaving the house to walking back in the door, including public transportation. My sister’s friend in the San Diego area spent FIVE HOURS that same day.

My friend Catbird has a friend over 65 in Albany who, as of a couple of weeks ago, still couldn’t find a vaccine. I suggested that the friend sign up for everything. The county site, the state site, CVS, Walgreens, whatever, because the supply is definitely loosening up.