I got my first vaccine shot.

Last week I decided to go online and register for a Covid-19 vaccination. In 10 minutes, of clicking through and filling out the form, I had booked my appointment.

Today is the day. (This was written Saturday, FYI.)

I’m about to get into my car and go over to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, but I don’t want to leave too early. I was told for social-distancing purposes, and to not have lines of people outside in the winter (although it’s a nice sunny day as I write this), not to arrive any sooner than 10 minutes of your scheduled appointment.

Just before I go over, let me say I was told that the process from start to finish doesn’t take long. Register, do a brief medical history interview, go get the shot, and then go to a waiting area for up to 30 minutes before leaving to make sure there were no adverse reactions.

To be continued in about an hour … (Note to self, go to the bathroom before getting into the car.)

I’m back. No line to get in at all. There’s about 10 different stages of the process, with multiple people at each stage, and every worker I encountered was above and beyond efficient and friendly. Not a line anywhere. Every one is kept moving through the process from step to step.  And from the parking lot back to the parking lot was no more than 30 minutes, and 15 of those 30 were after the shot you wait in an exit area to make sure you’re okay and nothing wonky happens.  I don’t think those medical types called it wonky though.

For the record, the shot I received was the Pfizer shot. Not that one has to make the decision. Shout out to the great RN who gave it to me, without me feeling even a pinch.  All I know about her is she's very good at what she does and she's from Farmington.

If you have read this far, I bet you’ve already gotten 'the shot' or you are planning to. But if you’re a vaccine hater, there’s probably nothing I could relate that would change your mind. People suggest to me that I get the yearly flu shot and I never have. My excuse, "I never get the flu, why get the shot." But this is different. This is a worldwide pandemic, and too many people have already died. Hopefully as more and more people get the vaccine, cases of the virus will go down and we can get back to what we’d rather have our lifestyle be. Consider getting the shot and let’s put this pandemic behind us.

And for the record the only reaction was as I was sitting in the waiting to exit area for the first few minutes I had a little funny feeling, but it only lasted a couple of minutes, then I was clock watching until it was time to leave.  I was wondering if I could turn the fact that I got the shot into a day off of work, but that thought quickly turned to a Keith Urban song title, Who Wouldn’t Want To Be Me.  I love what I get to do for a J.O.B.

Part two in 3 weeks!

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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