Sunday, April 18, 2021

Getting Those Vaccinations!

 Friday afternoon we headed to Collingwood to get our Covid vaccinations.  I must admit that we're not among those for whom this has been a smooth process!  It was a nightmare trying to sort out the online and phone routes to do this and finally get an appointment.  Meanwhile numerous neighbours and others who we knew seemed to get theirs more easily.  And we did think that there should have been some allowance for high risk patients like myself, but age seems to be the only criterion.

Never-the-less, we did finally get appointments and headed for Collingwood, passing beneath the slopes of Blue Mountain.  Here the slopes of 'The Peaks' are still showing patches of snow, the clouds low over the mountain.

Our appointments were at a drive-in clinic in a large parking lot.  So we waited in line with the others, got our paperwork checked and drove through the tent, rolled down our windows and felt that pinprick in your arm.  Out to park for 15 minutes (they timed you), and back home.  So all in all this part of it was relatively efficient.

We had received a detailed email and screening form a few days before, so we were all prepared, and we did receive a 'receipt' after by email, telling us exactly which vaccine was administered.  Mrs. F.G. being a former nurse, who gave many vaccinations in her career at the university, filled me in on all my questions.  Among other things I learned the difference between 'reactions' (serious allergic reactions) and 'side-effects' (like a sore arm or tiredness for a day or two).  We have had neither.

I've also learned a lot about vaccinations in general over my life with Mrs. F.G. Working in a university clinic she gave a great many travel vaccinations, certain of which numerous countries in the world require.  The idea of a vaccination passport is nothing new, you require proof to enter these countries. You also need certain vaccinations for various professions in Ontario.  For several years Mrs. F.G. was in charge of the rabies vaccination program for the Ontario Veterinary College, the students had no choice if they wanted to be in the program.

Here in Ontario students entering both kindergarten and high school require 9 different vaccinations in order to attend school.  I remember getting most of these - measles, mumps, polio, chicken pox, whooping cough and diptheria are the ones I remember.  Given my age I may also have received a smallpox vaccine; smallpox is now considered eradicated in North America.  You can apply for an exemption on either medical or religious grounds, but in the latter case you must first attend a vaccination education program.  Very few exemptions are allowed, the risk to the rest of us is too great.

I'm getting used to the highway between here and Collingwood, and though the vast majority of this stretch of Georgian Bay is given over to out-of-sight private cottages, there's a very short stretch of shoreline at Craigleith that/s right beside the highway.

By this time it was raining, a fine mist, and it was certainly quite chilly.  We felt for those staff out in the parking lot running the vaccination clinic.  But we had picked up a hot chocolate and donut (a rare treat), and it was very good.

I had a House Finch come and visit, right below my window.  This is an iphone picture, slightly cropped.  Not clear enough for me.  But I got a photo on my big camera too, so I'll get around to posting it soon.

I've started reading the Harry Potter books!  There's been a bit of a Covid crisis here in Grey Bruce, the result of a big bush party + Easer weekend.  The regional public health office declared a 48 hour stay-at-home order and our library has even closed its drop-off/pick-up service.  Yesterday I finished the last book I had checked out and asked Mrs. F.G. to bring up an old mystery book for me from the basement where my vast collection of books sits.  She did, but she also brought up the first book in the Harry Potter series and suggested I try it.  I've read the first 20 pages and I'm hooked!

Maybe a little bit of fantasy will take my mind off the poor management of the Covid crisis here in Ontario just now!  We're now being compared to Italy or New York city at their worst a year ago.  And don't let me get started on the politics of it!


21 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear that the vaccination process was so complicated. I can still hardly believe how simple and straightforward it was here. I've never read the Harry Potter books, though one of the young men I looked after had the audiobooks and I heard bits and pieces of all the stories while helping him into bed. Sometimes we both got so engrossed in the story that the bedtime routine became somewhat extended!

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  2. Like John said we both were able to easily preregister without any problems but we had to walk inside the arena for the Vaccine itself.
    Great Pictures.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  3. It's been some years since I read the Potter books, but I enjoyed them.

    The view of the bay is grand.

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  4. Congratulations on getting your first Covid shot. And it's been years, but I so enjoyed the Harry Potter books. I hope you do, too.

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  5. Beautiful bay pictures!!
    I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books too.

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  6. Lovely pictures by the water. Nice shot of the House Finch. I may or may not have spotted a Cassin's Finch today. It's so hard to be 100% sure of what exactly one is seeing.

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  7. We had our second COVID vaccination about five weeks ago, the first just gave us mildly sore arms, when we got the second H had no reaction whatever, I had a sore arm again and felt rally tired for about ten hours the day after the shot. The sore arm was nothing compared to the painful shot I got in the Army, can't remember if it was for cholera, yellow fever or one of the myriad of other diseases we were vaccinated against. I've had at least three smallpox vaccinations (no, the first wasn't from Edward Jenner), one as a baby, one when I was six and one (or more) in the Army.

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  8. I'm glad you got your shots. I had mine 3 weeks ago and now will have to wait until July for the 2nd one. Your doctor should have put you on a rush list for the shot!

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  9. LOL, I hear you. Congrats on receiving your first shots. I know I felt an incredible sense of relief when I received mine even though I knew things won't be "normal" for a long time yet. But it is definitely a step in the right direction.

    Enjoy your reading!

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  10. Maybe I need to find Harry Potter too, Our shots are a long way off, the front line workers, hospital staff, have been first in the queue , but down here we have been so lucky, with anyone flying in going into either isolation that is managed, they have NO choice, or quarantine if positive.But the bubble to Australia is open, and many flights to and from have started, Huge family reunions, after many months apart. Stay safe, even with a shot.

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  11. Glad to hear you were able to get your first shots. We had ours Apr 1, a cumbersome but easy procedure. We were both tired for a couple of days and Cathie was achy, but a small price to pay.
    We've both enjoyed the Harry Potter series of books more than once. Great imagination. The way JK lets her characters age during the series is quite unusual and effective.

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  12. A great friend of mine is a bestselling author and her publisher sent her a preview copy of the first Harry Potter. She waved it at me when I was staying over saying she thought I would enjoy it. And she was right. I couldn’t put it down. By breakfast time I had finished it.
    I have read them all of course but I find it really hard to reread them. I don’t know about you, but I have always reread my favourite books; sometimes over and over again. I don’t know why exactly, but I can’t do that with Potter.
    My younger friends , some of them rabid Potter fans, are oh so impressed I got to read it before it was actually published!

    Glad to hear you’ve had your jabs with no side effects. I have my second jab booked for Wednesday.

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  13. Glad you got it. Sue gets hers today, a week after I got mine even though we booked only a few minutes apart. Other younger people have got theirs first, depending on where they live and which vaccination. I see that AZ in phramacies is being opened to 40+ today. The rollout does seem to be ramping up.

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  14. Kelly looked after the arrangement and paperwork for my vaccine shot so for me it all went smoothly. If I would have had to do that I would have been a grumpy camper. I didn't read the Potter books but did see the movies. Really liked the first couple of movies but after that the movies became darker and more and more violent. It seems the more gruesome violence moviemakers nowadays can pack into a movie the more popular it becomes.

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  15. Yes, in terms of COVID we seem to go from crisis to deeper crisis. Our vaccination, however, went as smoothly as could be imagined. We received a date, time and location within minutes of registering, arrived right on time and were in and out before you could say pinprick. Other than a slightly sore arm neither Miriam nor I had any reaction to the vaccine.

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  16. Glad to hear you got in, yes the process for us took some time as well to get ours booked. Still have to wait until May for ours. Is it standard that we will get an email AFTER vaccinations as proof? We'll definitely need something for travel and we haven't heard.

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    1. Cathie got a confirmation email of her shot the same day. Mine got lost in the system, and it took 2 weeks to chase it down. Gord.

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  17. Watching from across the country, it looks like a real mess with respect to shutdown, lockdown or whatever it’s called. Glad you got the vaccine though. High risk individuals here were vaccinated recently as were essential workers.

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  18. Pleased to read you have had your first vaccination.

    All the best Jan

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  19. So glad you got the vaccination and had no reactions:) I really enjoyed the Harry Potter Books:)

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  20. Congratulations on getting vaccinated!

    Did you know the first mass vaccination program in America took place in 1777? George Washington decided to inoculate the troops because the spread of smallpox was threatening the struggle for freedom.

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