I got the following email from the NJ Dept. of Health late last week:
This was somewhat heartening news, but notice that second sentence. I think they should have bolded and underlined it. The first way to get vaccinated involves simply waiting. Okay, I can do that, but I'm not content to just wait. I clicked on the link of designated vaccination sites listed under #2 and fell down the rabbit hole. After two and a half hours and a frustrating phone call, I ended up "pre-registered" at four different sites. I started with my county's Health Dept. and because all the appointment slots were filled, I was advised to call and speak to a Health Dept. nurse. I'm a rule-follower, so I did. The nurse asked me a bunch of questions about my age and health and then said that I was not really eligible. I have compromised lung function due to a pulmonary embolism, but she did not think it was compromised enough. I have hypertension (and take medication), but she said my blood pressure was not high enough. She asked if I was obese, and when I told her my BMI, it turns out that I am not fat enough. (By now I was laughing!) When I asked why the state had determined I was eligible based upon my pre-registration with them, she said it was really a matter of not enough vaccine. The county had only received enough doses to vaccinate 50 people (the population is 124,000), so I was eligible despite our previous surreal conversation, but there is just not enough vaccine. I wish the nurse had just said that in the beginning, but she did tell me to register at as many vaccination sites as I could, and hopefully I could receive the vaccine soon.
So that's what I did. I'm now registered at several sites and I will hopefully be able to get an appointment at one of them in the near future. Some of them are two hours away, but I'm willing to travel if it means I can get the vaccine. I know there are many, many people who need and want the vaccine, and I was just trying to make an appointment for my place in line. My lung function may not be poor enough, my blood pressure high enough, and I don't weigh enough, but I really wish there was enough vaccine for everyone. I want the vaccine, I want my children to be able to get the vaccine, and I want all of you to be able to get the vaccine. I will just need to maintain enough patience and hope.
And now because every blog post needs a picture and this was not an overly cheerful post, I'll leave you with one of my favorite Bernie memes: Bernie takes on Beth Harmon in The Queen's Gambit.
Hope you're having a good Monday (and finding that you are indeed enough)!
