Let’s Do a Shot Together!
Getting my COVID vaccine and The Care Center in OKC
Today I got my first Moderna shot. Shot number two is scheduled for April 13th. My blog this week will talk about my experience as well as the non-profit I am promoting this week: The Care Center in Oklahoma City. More on them later in the blog.
It’s SHOT TIME!
Vaccinate.oklahoma.gov is the link to the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Appointment page. They first need to know where you fall in the different phases of vaccine distribution. It’s pretty basic stuff: demographic, medical history, COVID history, and contact information.
Then, they need to know which phase you fit in. There are four “phases” of eligibility. We are currently in phase three. If you’re a front-line health care worker, first responder, Oklahoman age 65+, teacher, essential worker, etc. you’ve probably already got yours or at least are available to get one. Phase four is all other Oklahomans, which is where I fit in now. In November, I was in radio, which I think is part of the “essential” group. But no matter, since I was able to get a vaccine now anyway. You may luck out and find open availability to get a shot if you’re at least 16 years old, regardless of occupation.
I know there’s concern from many readers about the safety of the vaccine, which I won’t speak about (you already know I feel it’s safe since I got mine this morning) other than to suggest go to a source your trust and make your best-informed decision as you would with any medical procedure. I’ll just describe to you what happened with me for COVID Shot #1.
Thank You Indian Health Care
First, a shout out to my friend and Facebook follower, Chris Kennedy. He posted a notice from Indian Health Services on his Facebook page late last week. This started the ball rolling to getting my vaccine. It was a notice about vaccine availability for any Oklahoman regardless if you are Native American or not. If you meet the basic health requirements you can make an appointment. Below is the post for today and one for tomorrow, Wednesday, March 17th.
As soon as I saw my friend’s Facebook post, I called the number listed. I verified that I was not a card-carrying member of any tribe (although my aunt told me I have some Kickapoo in me), to which she replied that was OK because it was open to any Oklahoma adult.
My appointment was scheduled for the next day. I believe I got the last open spot. However, I talked with “Keenan” and LPN with the clinic, and he told me they would continue doing this as long as they can. So if you’d like to sign up for a shot, call 918-382-2264.
Once you schedule your appointment, you are sent an email with a few documents to fill out in advance. I printed mine out and turned them in once I got there. By the way, it’s not in the Indian Health Center itself, it’s in the VFW Centennial building, which is across the parking lot.
Did It Hurt?
“Wow, you’re already done?” That’s what I said after getting my shot. The whole process was fast and friendly. I had the Coronavirus test done four times, and each time there was at least a half-hour wait. Sometimes an hour, even though I had an appointment (which was a bit frustrating). However, that’s totally understandable given the huge scale of all this. However, for my vaccine today I walked right in and 3 minutes later I was getting my shot. There was a friendly man at the entrance who wanted to make sure I was there for the right reason and asked to see my paperwork. He allowed me in and directed me to a health care worker who looked over my paperwork to make sure it was filled out properly then directed me to another person who escorted me to the next table of healthcare workers, who once again looked over my paperwork. They directed me to a RN who was ready with the shot! BAM! DONE SON!
There were about 5 or 6 RN’s delivering shots. Number 2 did mine. She was awesome! I HONESTLY didn’t feel a thing! I just sort of felt her pinch about an inch of blubber, I mean muscle. And that was it! She did a 3, 2, 1, “pinch” countdown, but I didn’t feel the needle AT ALL. No soreness then, or a couple hours later as I type this blog. Nada. Nothing. Zip.
Number 2 asked me to have a seat for 15 minutes just to make sure I didn’t feel a headache coming on or anything, which I didn’t. In fact, I never felt better! She said I’m about 50% protected, so I still need to keep doing all the precautions as before, which is totally fine with me.
Again, I hope you get your vaccine as soon as possible. However, I realize some people have apprehensions, which is cool. So if you’d like to ask me anything about my experience or thoughts, please feel free to reach out to me!
The Care Center in Oklahoma City
This week, my focus is on The Care Center in OKC. The Care Center is an Oklahoma County child advocacy center. They help victims of child abuse go through the process of bringing their accuser to justice and provide many different services like legal and medical counseling in one location.
They have a fundraiser coming up Friday, March 26th at 6:00 p.m. It’s a free virtual fundraiser called Brave Ball. The theme is “Breaking Patterns,” which is what child abuse can become. A pattern learned from one generation to the next. If you have any questions about how to become a sponsor or anything else, email: callie@carecenter-okc.
