I received this from Lee in Mexico this morning, and it’s a vaccine story worth telling.
On July 4th I flew out of Guadalajara, Mexico in search of a COVID-19 vaccine. I had to find a one dose J&J vaccine because a return trip is beyond my means. I did my research before making plans to go to San Antonio, Texas. I printed out maps and addresses for CVS pharmacies and when I called them from the airport in Houston I hit a wall.
While retrieving my luggage in San Antonio I saw an advertisement for the Texas Med Clinic. They have both the J&J and Pfizer available. I called them after I checked into my hotel room to confirm the information , and made an online appointment for the next day, Monday, July 5.
I arrived early and got my shot well before my appointment time. The waiting room was empty. What a shame.
I’ve lived in Mexico for over 14 years. It’s a bit of a mess here and though I am a documented permanent resident and eligible for their haphazard vaccine distribution I just couldn’t stand in lines for hours surrounded by throngs of people. I just couldn’t.
So, I saved some money and fled to the US for my life saving vaccine. A bit of an example of privilege I suppose…..
Anyway, I am a long time reader/lurker. Thanks for all that you folks do!!
Respectfully yours,
Chapala, Jalisco, México
Congratulations, Lee! Stay safe.
Such a shame that we have an embarrassment of riches in the US, vaccine-wise, yet the willful ignorance and arrogance keeps so many misguided people from keeping themselves and their neighbors and their families safe. And in other countries, it’s a fight to get the life-saving shots.
I am so sick of this divide between the haves and have-nots. It’s so wrong.
Odoroki and Himesama, and Ric:
Nancy Smash and Dr. Fauci:
Henry, Samwise, and Baby Champ:
jeffreyw
I’m seeing that Pfizer is asking for approval of a third shot due to the variants. Some talk of mixing vaccines -e.g. 1 Moderna plus 1 J&J. Also some indication they will try to work up a 4 dose cocktail for flu, covid, pneumonia, and I forget the other. It would be a yearly shot like the flu shots they have now.
raven
My friends live in Tepetlaoxtoc de Hidalgo and they came up to Pensacola for a month to get the vaccine.
Argiope
My 99.75 year old grandmother doesn’t have a shot yet thanks to her county’s bass-ackwards system for vaccinating the homebound vulnerable population, so tomorrow I’m driving 3.5 hours each way to make sure she gets one from me. My county health department is working with me to make sure my people in red counties are protected, bless them. I will have one vial of J&J in a cooler and told my aunt I want 4 more family arms lined up when I get there. Let’s see if she can deliver. My parents are refusniks because they think Tucker Carlson is a doctor, apparently, and that their vitamins will save them. I can’t fix that kind of stupid, but at least I can get my grandmother protected. As I told her on the phone yesterday, I know she has to go someday, but I don’t want her to go out that way. I want her to be here when Uncle Joe’s 100th birthday card arrives in the mail in September. Fortunately she’s in agreement. Let’s hope she does well with minimal or no side effects.
Roger Moore
@jeffreyw:
They finally checked to see if mixing and matching worked, and apparently it’s better to get an mRNA shot after an adenovirus shot than to get two adenovirus shots. This isn’t surprising, but it’s good to know. My brother in Germany says the government there has already changed its guidance so people who got an AZ for their first dose are now getting Pfizer for their second.
Ramalama
@Argiope: OMG your parents. That’s so awful. I’m so sorry for you.
They’re not in Missouri, are they? That state seems to be a complete shite-show with Covid. Or at least it’s what’s getting my attention on twitter.
Ramalama
@Roger Moore: Canada changed their guidance too. I got Astra-Zeneca for shot #1 (felt like hell for 3-4-5 days with massive barfing, whee). And then got Moderna for shot #2. Side effects totally laughable, a complete joke compared to my jab #1. Canada’s advisement kept changing, word by word, on their website by the hour, it seemed. I think Biden released a ton of Moderna to Canada and all of a sudden everybody had their wait moved up from August to 3 weeks ago for shot #2. The wait time was 4 months in between shots. And brought down to 8 weeks instead.
matt
@Roger Moore: same in Canada. They changed their advice just as I showed up for my second AZ dose. (Edit: it became Pfizer.)
Ramalama
@matt: Maybe it was just Quebec that got Moderna? I didn’t have an option for Pfizer.
Elizabelle
@Argiope: Rooting for your grandmother! Let us know when she hits her 100th birthday, so we can add our good wishes to Handsome Joe’s.
Uggh re your parents and Fox News. Same thing happened to my internist, a very soft spoken woman. Her elderly parents would not get a vaccine, no no no no, no matter what their physician daughter recommended, because Fox News said no.
So: they both caught Covid in spring 2020. They both ended up hospitalized for some time. They both survived. No idea on any longterm effects from the disease.
Thanks, Fox!
Toasting you with my coffee, here, for traveling to protect your gram and 4 additional smart people.
Argiope
@Elizabelle:
@Ramalama:
Thanks, both of you. I feel pretty helpless, but that’s been going on since they refused to change their lifestyle beyond what the governor mandated here in OH (and DeWine, to his credit, may have saved their lives once already). I’m telling myself that they don’t necessarily have to be wise, sometimes being lucky is enough, and so far they’ve been lucky. It’s frustrating because they actually aren’t stupid people–they are just fact-resistant and dug in now. I’m not bugging them anymore about it, because it just devolves into a “who’s right” situation. Lots of accepting the things I cannot change, etc.
Steeplejack
@Argiope:
Good luck on your humanitarian mission!
tokyocali (formerly tokyo expat)
I have finally got a date. I get my first shot July 18 and the second August 8. My middle son was able to get his from his university, which is up in Sendai. My oldest in grad school and youngest in uni are still waiting here in Tokyo. My university hoped to offer vaccines to faculty and students, but first our city took too long to approve the paperwork and when it finally did, there are no vaccine supplies to be had. The plan was to vaccinate faculty and students and go back face to face. Now, I don’t know what they plan. This term was alternating face to face and online with half the school (departments) showing up one week and then staying home the next.
In the meantime, the Olympics are happening. Around me the feeling is quite different from 2019. In that year, we had the Rugby World Cup and excitement was building for the Olympics to happen. Then came Covid. Now, people are feeling angry that the government has prioritized the Olympics over the population. We are entering our 4th state of emergency or quasi state of emergency depending on where you live, except nothing really changes. People are still going to work, children are going to school and the number of Covid cases continue to creep up. Meanwhile, the majority of the population is not vaccinated.
Matt McIrvin
@jeffreyw: And public health authorities are upset about Pfizer going to the press like this–it may be a booster is needed but they don’t really have the data to indicate that. Pfizer is trying to pump its stock by creating buzz about boosters.
CaseyL
@Argiope: You’re in the running for Best Grandchild Ever. Kudos to you, and to your aunt (who appears to be organizing the vax-fest). Hope your Grandmother makes it to 100 and beyond!
TheOtherHank
Here in NorCal, vaccine appointments are now available the same day (ie, the surge of people trying to get vaccinated is over). I got the J&J in April at a mass vaccination site. We’re going on a trip to the Land of Unvaccinated People (Utah) in the near future. Not being completely convinced about J&J vs Delta, I went and got a Moderna jab last week. I don’t feel like I deprived someone of a shot since my local pharmacy had multiple open appointments. Now I have to decide if I’m going to get the second Moderna and become completely bullet-proof.
Juice Box
I read an estimate that over a hundred thousand people have come up from Mexico to get vaccinated in the US. Obviously, this benefits the wealthier people, but it leaves more vaccine available for others in Mexico. It’s ironic that Floridians and Texans aren’t getting the vaccine, but vaccine tourists are arriving for the privilege.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Argiope: Not stupid but fact resistant. That’s a good way to put it. Honestly I think if you took these people back to 2014 and could show them what was about to happen to them – their selves, attitudes, beliefs – they’d be horrified and would never ever possibly believe they could be that gullible in a million lifetimes. Yet here we are. And pulling them out of it seems impossible at this point. Anything you try to do to pull them out of it causes them to reject reality harder and more stubbornly.
FlyingToaster
@Ramalama: I’m sure OzarkHillbilly will weigh in on this if/when he sees it.
My niece the pediatric nurse (Kansas City-North) says it’s wall-to-wall crazy denialism. She caught Covid at the office; recovered without giving it to her family, and was vaxxed in early February. Her spouse was vaxxed ASAP, and they’re frightened to death for their 7-year-old. SMDH.
Joax
I’m in a small village to the north of the city of Oaxaca. I got both my shots here (Pfizer), but it wasn’t easy. Over seven hours in line for the first and only four for the second. I was going to get my second in Boston at a CVS, but my flight got canceled due to the airport being closed because of protests. It all worked out in the end, but Mexico is still struggling to get folks the shots. It is rough country here, with lots of isolated villages. People really want them, desperately, and look to El Norte where so many are refusing to get vaccinated and shake their heads.
Matt McIrvin
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: I don’t know, I think you’re overrating their past selves. The ones I know would have been proud they resisted the liberal elites, even unto death.
CaseyL
It’s 6 months since I was vaccinated (Moderna) and 3 months before I head off to Maine. I’m wondering when/if I can get a booster shot. Washington is sticking to CDC guidelines, which means I can’t get another shot (or series of shots).
I’m not sure if this is something I need to worry about. I read that Moderna is good for “at least” 6 months, and is good against the Delta variant. Maybe I’ll just keep an eye on Maine’s tourist advisories. So far they say if you’re fully vaxed, you’re good to enter the state. No mention of time limits.
Elizabelle
@Juice Box: A few of the victims of the Surfside condo collapse were Latin Americans who arrived, with their kids, to get a vaccine. At least two cases of families staying in a borrowed condo unit.
Matt McIrvin
@CaseyL: Pharm company CEOs are making noises about boosters to promote their product and their stocks. Right now, there isn’t enough evidence to recommend that people get them.
The situation with Delta seems to be that the existing vaccines aren’t that great at protecting against mild upper respiratory COVID infections, but they’re still strong against the mortally dangerous systemic ones. I’m at a “live your life but mask up indoors” attitude about this. It’s not gonna kill me but I don’t want to be a spreader, even if it’s to people whose lack of immunity is willfully self-imposed.
Elizabelle
@Matt McIrvin:
That would be a great slogan/bumper sticker.
Ramalama
@CaseyL: Ed Yong writes this in the Atlantic:
Apologies if someone has linked to Yong previously. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up!
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Matt McIrvin: Some of them were that way already and have been for decades. But I know several people that were mostly apolitical or just mildly right wing until 5 years ago that are full on crazy now. I know one guy who was fully in the tank for Obama for all 8 years, and is now a anti-vax Q Anon nutjob.
Elizabelle
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: What do you think the gateway drug was for the Obama supporter?
Could it be religious affiliation?
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Elizabelle: Definitely was not religion. The dude hasn’t been to church since his confirmation (Roman Catholic). He is or was a truck driver. Last I saw him he was about to move to Arizona, so I thought maybe something in the water down there makes people go crazy but then he was coming from West Michigan which is a conservative hotbed. He used to be a big Keith Olbermann fan and maybe he just needed a political rage fix and nobody on the left was filling it anymore. But that’s just speculation, I really have no idea. Haven’t seen him since the summer of 2016 when his brother got married (brother is one of my closest lifelong friends and not crazy RWNJ) and he was pro Obama at that point. I just get all this from his FB feed but maybe it’s elaborate parody trolling for comedic effect but I don’t think so.
Fraud Guy
I did not throw away my (JJ) shot!
JoyceCB
DaveCB and I got our second shots last Saturday, about a month earlier than originally scheduled. Pfizer both times, with very little after effect. We both had sore arms and lethargy the next day, but nothing after that.
From the Toronto Star today: the 12 and older population in Ontario is 13 million, of which 78% have had at least one shot, and 50% are fully vaccinated. The clinics were nearby, they were quick and efficient, the volunteers were cheerful… if you had to get a needle, it was a good experience.
Amir Khalid
I’m a week away from my second jab. It saddens me to learn that it’s hard to get a vaccination appointment in places like Mexico and Japan. Here in Malaysia the process has been pretty simple and straightforward: you sign up via phone app/website/hotline, they give you an appointment, and you show up. A doctor briefs a group of you, you get the jab, you wait in a holding area, they give you an appointment card for thhe second dose, and you’re done in less than an hour. Really good considering how many people they’re processing in that time.
Matt McIrvin
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: the QAnoner I know got in through single-issue anti-abortion politics. You could just see her getting worse and worse. But she was always a right-winger and the seeds were there.
Skepticat
You generously gave me two placeholder stickers while I was out of the country, but I finally got the first shot, Pfizer, on Wednesday at the pharmacy of the local Hannaford grocery store. I didn’t really even feel it, though later the injection site was sore and it made me sleepy for about a day and a half—an exceptionally small price I’m thrilled to pay.
An older gentleman came in about the time I did and told me it had taken a lot of time for him to work up his nerve. His wife, son, and daughter (an employee of my health care provider!) refuse to get vaxxed, but I thanked him for being smart and responsible.
Afterward, I had lunch with friends, the first time I’ve been in a sit-down restaurant for more than two years (partly because of the pandemic, but largely being away and not being a big fan of restaurants anyway). Maine seems to be doing an excellent job, with almost 60 percent of the population fully vaccinated, and I’m so looking forward to joining that group a few days after my 75th birthday. That will be the gift I give myself.
KM in NS
@Ramalama: same in Nova Scotia. Our wait times between doses was shortened by several weeks.
edited to add: NS got lots of Moderna, too. Hard to get the second Pfizer dose at this time.
La Nonna
Fully vaccinated, Astra Zeneca, Italy not mixing vaccines yet, all set for green pass, I’d like a sticker with that handsome Boston terrier terror, thx.
NetheadJay
Have a family member in Mexico so I’ve been keeping an eye on the vaccine rollout there and yeah they’ve got their problems. Hope it gets better.
Got my 2nd Pfizer-Biontech shot on monday so now I should 100% nanochip-enabled. Feels good. Could I please have an Odoriki badge.
Audrey
Another Canadian here (in Ontario). Had my second shot this past Saturday – approximately 11 weeks earlier than originally scheduled. I went to the same mass vaccine clinic for both and they were very efficiently run each time. They advise you not to show up more than 10 minutes before your appointment time ( I don’t know what happens if you do, I followed the rules :) ) so very little waiting before hand. I got Pfizer for the first one and fully expected to be given Moderna for the second one since there was more of that at the time, but as it happens, I got Pfizer for both.
Noticeable but short lived side effects each time. Slight fever and chills over night after the first one and an all over achiness after the second one. Strangely, ibuprofen didn’t help with the achy. Each time, it took up to 12 hours for the side effects to kick in. I have chosen to take these as good signs.
After this week, people will probably have an easier time getting the Pfizer shot than Moderna as currently Pfizer will be sending over 8 million more doses over the next 3 weeks and there is no forecast for any from Moderna.
With that, that will be me and me extended family all done and just a count down for all of us to hit 2 weeks post second shot for maximum immunity. Most of the people at work too. We do have a couple of hold outs though. Including my boss :/. However, with all of talking about getting our shots and how happy we’ve been with it and how easy etc. he seems to be wavering. We might get a clean sweep here soon then hopefully.
Mary G
The teen’s girlfriend got her second shot today, and she loves cats, may she have Himesama, please.
Splitting Image
I got my second Moderna shot on Monday. It was a bit rougher than my first shot, and I had a bad headache and some flu-like symptoms, but they subsided after a day or so and now all is well.
I’ll take a Himesama badge, please. Feels good to have it done, finally.
Ramalama
@KM in NS: Dang. Also @Audrey: Canadians in the house!
Was NS part of the Atlantic bubble? You guys kept the lid on pretty nicely if so.
I’m in a town that’s growing older by the minute. Condos being built up. Lots of retirees and elder care here. I know some older folks in those places were well protected. The staff shut things down really quick. Especially compared to the folks in Montreal and environs. My heart is still breaky when I think about that.
WaterGirl
@Skepticat: What stickers would you like?
WaterGirl
Anyone else want stickers?
Burrowing Owl
Still can’t get my 11-year-old vaccinated (won’t be twelve until 2022) and working to keep them safe until younger kids can be vaccinated. Do you have a sticker for impatiently waiting?
KM in NS
@Ramalama: yes, last year we were part of the Bubble. This year it all fell apart. Now each province has their own rules and entry requirements. No matter. We’re still going to PEI in a few weeks!!
Skepticat
@WaterGirl: Anything would be fine, thanks, though there is a white cat that looks like one of my trio with which I can identify.
WaterGirl
@Burrowing Owl: Do any of those work?
WaterGirl
@Skepticat: Is that the one? :-)
Skepticat
@Skepticat: Perfecto. Many thanks.
Skepticat
@WaterGirl: Yes’m, with many thanks.
Audrey
@WaterGirl: Any of the Doses Done would be fine. You can surprise me!
Burrowing Owl
@WaterGirl: Yes, thanks. It’s hard to wait (even though I know it’s harder for people outside the U.S.) The stickers help.
WaterGirl
@Burrowing Owl: The WHY? and WTF? stickers are so expressive!
tokyocali (formerly tokyo expat)
I got my first shot yesterday afternoon! I go back in three weeks for the second dose of Pfizer. Have a sore arm, but nothing else. The shot itself was a prick and over and done with. The whole thing went very smoothly. May I have a sticker of Zevon, the dog with the fluffy ears, last row, right photo?
Here in Japan, your municipality sends you coupons. Until you have a coupon, you cannot do anything. And, even if you have a coupon, you still may not be able to do anything. For example, our coupons came, but only people with underlying health conditions were allowed to make an appointment. You have to wait to get a postcard saying that you are now able to make an appointment. It’s very typical Japanese bureaucracy.
It’s all been unevenly applied as well. My younger colleague, aged 38 or 39, will get his first shot Tuesday in his ward in Tokyo. Another of my colleagues, over 40, has yet to receive his coupon even from his city. Meanwhile the government has asked municipalities to slow down their vaccinations because supply is running low and they won’t get restocked until September.
Of course, the Olympics go on and there are already two positive cases in the Village. What could possibly go wrong?
WaterGirl
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo expat): Of course you can have Zevon!
I plan on putting up a new I Got the Shot! thread tomorrow. I hope you will consider copying your comment into that thread so others will be able to see it!
tokyocali (formerly tokyo expat)
@WaterGirl: Thank you! Will do!