Opinion

At times I feel that I am living in some weird world probably due to the Covid virus.  Following are some examples:

Example 2:

I have tried to get a Coronavirus shot for weeks.  I am in category 1B.  I belong to a very reputable and large medical plan that has near by medical offices and hospitals.  Their website for weeks has shown that they are only inoculating people that are in category 1A: 

• Healthcare workers
• Long-term care residents1

My wife and I walk almost 4 miles every morning.  We stop to talk to people along our route and yesterday a person told us that another large hospital close to use was taking walk-ins, meaning anyone for inoculation.

I called the hospital help line and was told that they are taking walk in but that day they ran out.  I was told that people are arriving as early as 6 am in the morning and maybe I should also.

I called the next day real early the hospital help line and was told that you have to be a member of their health plan.  That is weird.  That is not what I was told yesterday.  I checked my cell phone log and I had dialed the same phone number both times.

The next day, I decided to drive to the hospital to check out the possibilities.  I arrived at about 9 am and as I drove into the parking lot for the inoculations, there were three men in a group waiting for each car to arrive.  I was told that I was number 14 “walk in” and was told to park my car.  After parking my car, I walked up to that hospital entrance which had about 5 people ahead of me and when my turn came, I was met by an elderly women working the entrance.  I told her that I was not part of their medical plan but told her my plan’s name.  She said that her mother has the same plan as mine and got her shot already.  I got the distinct impression that I did not have to belong to their health plan because all the people who were in front of me were allowed to go in with no problem.  I decided to leave and try to text may primary care physician to see if I could get my shot.  I would return again to this hospital if my paid plan failed me.

It seems that coronavirus speed of delivery and organization process of that delivery is not what we normally expect in the United States.

 

 

Posted January 29, 2021
Updated: February 2, 2021