As a Senior, I am sure that by now you have become a participant in “Vaccination Madness”. To be specific it is the insanity, or craziness that has occurred in our quest to obtain the coveted Covid-19 Vaccination.
We are talking about the increased demand and in many cases the insanity exhibited by our Senior population to obtain this heavily promised preventative.
It started with the December announcement that there will be two vaccinations available from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna respectively and that each of these valued vaccinations would be available based upon a specific order criteria. This criteria included an important first need basis for Emergency Personnel (Doctors, Nurses, First Responders, and so on). This was followed by a breakout of ages with the highest consideration given to high-risk Seniors above 75 years first and followed by those who are age 65 and over. This seemed reasonable and an orderly process.
However, there was an initial shortage of the vaccines which in turn meant that you would have to source where the available vaccines were given and that if available an appointment was needed. Panic ensued!
This resulted in being on the computer or phone all hours of the day and into the wee hours of the night. Rumors rained rampant as Seniors and their children were desperately searching for the golden vaccination.
The conversations were similar “Did you hear that Carol just got an appointment for her Mom and Dad at XYZ Hospital, or Clinic, etc.” And many of these appointments were made at facilities that were not close to home, we are talking about traveling as far as the length of the State.
We also found many Seniors on the computer as late as 4am (honest) hoping to find and make an appointment. The search for vaccination appointments was incredible. Even though we were assured that eventually all those wanting a vaccination would surely receive it and in turn ignoring the official plea to “Please be patient”. Of course, supply and demand took place and both Pharmaceutical Companies increased their production and distribution levels.
So, you would think this reassurance would create a sense of calm.
Wrong! Because a newly approved vaccination entered the quest. With the announcement that Johnson & Johnson had created a one-shot vaccination, the game rapidly changed to where and when can I obtain this new vaccination. And the madness continued.
Now the question has become which vaccination have you received?
Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson? So, now it wasn’t about getting an appointment it was where can I go to get my vaccination of choice. It almost has become a status situation with the question being “Which shot did you receive?”
Look, we all agree that the Covid 19 Virus greatly affected all our lives as never before. It has been a dreadful disease and one that had to be controlled quickly.
Thankfully, through “Operation Warp Speed” we are now seeing an impressive increase of these various vaccinations being made available. Hopefully, this massive push will finally reduce the insanity and angst that we have witnessed during this crisis.
I hope we have all learned something from this nightmare. Stay calm because good days always follow bad days. No need to insanely rush to buy water, toilet paper, paper towels, or other commodities. No need to rush to obtain a vaccination. With CVS and Walgreen’s soon making vaccinations available in New Jersey in addition to various medical centers there will be enough for everyone.
I hope you agree that in addition to getting the vaccination, the sacrifices of wearing a mask in public, keeping social distancing, and taking sanitary measures such as often washing our hands is not asking too much. With fingers crossed Covid 19 might soon be nothing but a bad memory,
So, please remain calm and together “we shall overcome” and have enough experience to deal with whatever my come next.
This article cannot be complete without a special thank you to all our great doctors, nurses, medical professionals, many whom have been involved in treating Covid-19 and are listed on this Monmouth Health and Wellness site.
Stephen Dick is the president of SDMC, a full-service creative marketing communications resource – www.sdmc-nj.com
