Are vaccines the light at the end of the tunnel?

[Charles4515]

23 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

It's amazing how many places in Michigan that are listed as providers, 2764 throughout the state.  In my county Oakland County there are supposed to be 342 providers.  I have no idea how to find all of these providers.  In addition to hospitals, pharmacies and the health department there are urgent care centers, internal medicine offices, pediatrics, OB/GYN, home health care providers, etc.  I have no idea how to get vaccinated at most of these places.

Here urgent care and physicians offices don’t get vaccines. Only county health departments, hospitals, state mass sites and pharmacy chains, supermarket chains that have pharmacies.(independent pharmacy’s don’t)  

[Ken the cruiser]

Just found this website link posted on our Alabama Health Dept FB page. Has anybody tried this out yet and, if so, did it help you make a vaccine reservation?

 

http://www.vaccinefinder.org

 

It looks like a promising source if trying to find a vaccine provider in your area, especially as more vaccines start arriving at various providers and pharmacies around the US.

 

Update: My DW just told me she has used this website for years when we needed to find a location to get a vaccine we required for our travel plans. Who knew! Anyway, it appears to have been temporarily retooled to only search for COVID vaccination sites

Edited March 13, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[K.T.B.]

2 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Pick a Meijer’s in Lake county and register, you might be surprised. (Assuming you are over 65 years old. ). Or sign up at the Hospital group that you use.  Many vaccination locations across the state do not have residency requirements,  Walgreen’s is another that you can monitor.   Since I live in Lake county and I have been fully vaccinated, I do not share your exact experience.  I registered everywhere that Accepted reservation and monitored vaccination sites a across the state.  I have been offered appointment/found appointments at multiple locations.  

Sorry, I just feel that your belief that Cook county residents are being discriminated against all location sites across the state (within a few hours of cook county) based on when they live is hard to believe.  The exception is the vaccination site at the United center.   May be true at some County run sites, but not the pharmacy/hospital run sites.  I just think you are mistaken.
 

I have two friends from Lake county who had their vaccine shots in Cook county and another who receive their shot in Wisconsin at the Advocate Aurora location.  
 

i

 

I flat out refuse to drive that far.  From where I live that's a 60-90 minute drive one way, depending on the traffic.  Seriously, I have 3 Walgreens, 2 CVS's, 2 Mariano's, and 2 Oscos all within a 5 mile radius of me.  ALL are administering the vaccine.  I will not travel hours.  Period.

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

 

I flat out refuse to drive that far.  From where I live that's a 60-90 minute drive one way, depending on the traffic.  Seriously, I have 3 Walgreens, 2 CVS's, 2 Mariano's, and 2 Oscos all within a 5 mile radius of me.  ALL are administering the vaccine.  I will not travel hours.  Period.

OK

[nocl]

Where there is  will there is a way, where there is no will there is a wait

[Arizona Wildcat]

8 hours ago, cangelmd said:

We have in effect tested and tweaked procedures and sites to do mass vaccinations, but learned that setting up a mass vaccination site is kind of a waste if there isn’t enough vaccine to keep the site up and rolling for several,hours and/or days at a time. 
Didn’t get to hear Biden’s speech, but from the quotes and summary I’ve read, the plan is to try to get mass vaccination sites up and going continuously in May, and that is where the volunteers come in.

To answer your question, the US is extremely litigious and while it varies from state to state, you are unlikely to see any OJT volunteers like in the UK. Here, docs, nurses, dentists and pharmacists would be licensed to give shots. Med students and nursing students under supervision. Med assistants in doctor offices in some states and vets, but not to people.

Someone who heard the speech, was malpractice protection addressed at all? I’m sure there are plenty of retired MDs and nurses that are ready to step up, I’ve talked to some, but they have to be protected insurance wise.

In Arizona there are hundreds of retired medical personnel that have been provided permits to vaccinate.  They are covered with insurance by the state.  Hundreds of volunteers work to handle traffic and other duties.  As was said we need more vaccine as the pharmacy/grocer network that handles most flu and other vaccinations is just getting started.

In BC retired medical staff is required to take 4 short courses and are then hired by the health authorities to vaccinate.  Mass sites begin on Vancouver Island next Monday.  They are hoping for full access by August or September.

[jagoffee]

On 3/11/2021 at 7:34 AM, K.T.B. said:

 

In Illinois, if you do not live in that particular county, you cannot get a vaccination.  Mainly because people who live in Cook have tried travelling there to get vaccinated.  Doses are limited, so they're making sure locals get it first.  However, Cook has more than enough to go to 1b+, but it's not for some odd reason.

 

20 hours ago, K.T.B. said:

 

Not near the Chicago area.  DuPage, Lake, Grundy... if you're not residents of those counties, forget it.  They realize people living in Cook are being "held back" from the rest of the state.  I'm not going to travel 4-5 hours one way to get vaccinated.

 

3 hours ago, K.T.B. said:

 

I flat out refuse to drive that far.  From where I live that's a 60-90 minute drive one way, depending on the traffic.  Seriously, I have 3 Walgreens, 2 CVS's, 2 Mariano's, and 2 Oscos all within a 5 mile radius of me.  ALL are administering the vaccine.  I will not travel hours.  Period.

OK.  Will not is a lot different than cannot.  
 

You will be able to get a vaccine somewhere in Cook county fairly soon if you wish.  No reason to go to another county if you do not wish to travel. 

[TeeRick]

14 hours ago, drarill said:

Rick, hope you like this article. I did  https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/10/single-tree-species-may-hold-key-coronavirus-vaccine/616792/

Thank you for posting this article!  We used saponins and QS-21 in vaccine formulations.  Very effective but always limited in supply unfortunately.  The science behind vaccine adjuvants is quite important.  Protein subunit vaccines are much more effective using them in their formulations.  Some believe in the health-promoting dietary effects of saponins as well.

Edited March 13, 2021 by TeeRick

[TeeRick]

16 hours ago, cangelmd said:

I’m sure there are plenty of retired MDs and nurses that are ready to step up, I’ve talked to some, but they have to be protected insurance wise.

It is too bad that well-meaning trained volunteers need to worry about this issue.

[TeeRick]

16 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

Our state had the same problem with their programs being overwhelmed too and many people were understandably frustrated . Fortunately pharmacies here began giving vaccinations in February. We got our first shot the day after our age group opened up through Walgreens, and felt like we'd won the lottery. I'm happy to say we got our second shot this morning.

We've been advising others to go directly to the pharmacy's websites.

 

Congrats! On getting the vaccine!  You did win the lottery!

[TeeRick]

Pharmacy chains have different federal and state contracts.  For example in my state of PA:

 

RiteAid & Walgreens

-The primary state and county contracts are with RiteAid.  Near impossible to get an appointment but persistence sometimes wins.  They appear to post new appointments around midnight.  Walgreens (which purchased much of RiteAid) in my state is giving out vaccines (to 75+ only) just in the city of Philadelphia.  RiteAid shut down Phase 1A vaccinations and shifted to teachers and support staff only- for the past few days here.  Teachers getting the J&J vaccine here.

- If you are lucky enough in my county to win the lottery you will be invited to go to a county vaccine center (about 3000 doses a week, 100's of thousands on waiting list).  Or some get RiteAid appointments through the county instead.  

 

CVS

- CVS up until recently only had 5 locations in our entire state distributing vaccines.  That has changed recently.  It appears a bit easier to get an appointment when they post availability (5-6 AM).

 

Walmart/Sam's Club

- Some states but no availability in my state yet.

 

Federal Vaccine Program- pretty much all other private pharmacies, grocery store pharmacies and different for every state.  See my previous post on this.  Here is the link again (by state).

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/participating-pharmacies.html

 

You all probably know about this site for vaccine availability at RiteAid, Walgreens and CVS.  It is frustrating but some get lucky using it.  Follow the directions and tips exactly.

http://vaxxmax.com/

 

 

 

[Jeremiah1212]

People in my area seem to be having best luck with this site, although the Walmart availability will disappear within minutes. There is a very active FB group posting availability so as soon as appointments are posted, they go incredibly fast.

 

https://vaccinefinder.org

[TeeRick]

US has gone past 100 million vaccine doses administered.  And the UK is at 24 million doses.  On this day (March 13) exactly one year ago my state of PA started lockdown. And it has been only about 3 months since the first vaccine EUA (Pfizer) was approved in the US.  Kind of amazing progress when one reflects on it.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/12/us-tops-100-million-covid-vaccine-doses-administered-13percent-of-adults-now-fully-vaccinated.html

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

People in my area seem to be having best luck with this site, although the Walmart availability will disappear within minutes. There is a very active FB group posting availability so as soon as appointments are posted, they go incredibly fast.

 

https://vaccinefinder.org

It seems that only a small handful of states feed data to this site.  

[Shadow9612]

10 hours ago, TeeRick said:

US has gone past 100 million vaccine doses administered.  And the UK is at 24 million doses. 

 

Canada:  2.9 million doses administered.

 

[Oville]

11 hours ago, TeeRick said:

It seems that only a small handful of states feed data to this site.  

I agree and will be getting our 2nd  Pfizer shot on the 20th back over on the east coast in less than seven days.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Oville

[Oville]

3 minutes ago, Oville said:

I agree and will be getting our 2nd  Pfizer shot on the 20th back over on the east coast in less than seven days.  Wish it was closer but no complaints, happy to get it behind us.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

 

On 3/12/2021 at 10:25 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

Just found this website link posted on our Alabama Health Dept FB page. Has anybody tried this out yet and, if so, did it help you make a vaccine reservation?

 

http://www.vaccinefinder.org

 

It looks like a promising source if trying to find a vaccine provider in your area, especially as more vaccines start arriving at various providers and pharmacies around the US.

 

Update: My DW just told me she has used this website for years when we needed to find a location to get a vaccine we required for our travel plans. Who knew! Anyway, it appears to have been temporarily retooled to only search for COVID vaccination sites

What caught my eye when I initially checked out this website was the initial "States reporting data to Vaccine Finder" statement.  In case my below screen shot is hard to read, it says:

 

"This website includes the latest information on COVID-19 vaccine availability at certain providers and pharmacies in Alaska, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, Utah and New York State (excluding NYC).

 

In other states, information may be limited while more providers and pharmacies are added in the coming weeks."

 

With the massive increase in vaccine supply projected to be shipped to pharmacies all around the country over the next few months, this well established nationwide website, redesigned to solely look for COVID vaccine availability, just might be in the coming weeks that "one stop shop" link that has been missing up to this point for folks to make a vaccine reservation. At least that's the hope. 

 

In my case I answered a few questions and entered my Alabama zip code and it returned a variety of pharmacy locations in my area and their vaccine availability status.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[TeeRick]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 

What caught my eye when I initially checked out this website was the initial "States reporting data to Vaccine Finder" statement.  In case my below screen shot is hard to read, it says:

 

"This website includes the latest information on COVID-19 vaccine availability at certain providers and pharmacies in Alaska, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, Utah and New York State (excluding NYC).

 

In other states, information may be limited while more providers and pharmacies are added in the coming weeks."

 

With the massive increase in vaccine supply projected to be shipped to pharmacies all around the country over the next few months, this well established nationwide website, redesigned to solely look for COVID vaccine availability, just might be in the coming weeks that "one stop shop" link that has been missing up to this point for folks to make a vaccine reservation. At least that's the hope. 

 

In my case I answered a few questions and entered my Alabama zip code and it returned a variety of pharmacy locations in my area and their vaccine availability status.

 

 

Thanks Ken.  Good advice.  

Also President Biden said in his speech that the US was working on launching a national vaccine availability website.  Not sure about the timeline.

[D C]

12 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Thanks Ken.  Good advice.  

Also President Biden said in his speech that the US was working on launching a national vaccine availability website.  Not sure about the timeline.

Based on past history of govt websites, it should be up and running by fall and have semi-accurate info by next spring 😉

[TeeRick]

10 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

 

Canada:  2.9 million doses administered.

 

I understand the vaccine frustration of our Canadian friends here.  I truly wish you get the doses you need soon and start mass vaccinations in your provinces.  But with that said the USA is at the top of the world list for COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths.  Brazil is a distant second. 

Yes in the US  there is a lot of blame to go around for these sobering statistics.  Some of our states are not following simple measures to control the virus.  Some of our people are selfish.  We have botched it from day 1.  Except we emphasized vaccines as the only true long term solution.

 

Canada has a total population of 38 million.  To put it in perspective the USA has 331 million with the virus still raging and deaths over 534,000.  Our number of reported infections to date is 30 million which is almost equal to the entire population of Canada.  And the CDC estimates more like 80-100 million infections.  Variants are spreading too.  The total Covid deaths in Canada are 22,000 which is less than the number of deaths just in my state (PA) alone.  I think some of the world sees the US as being selfish with the vaccine.  But given our numbers and the risk we pose to the entire world the vaccine is more necessary here right now than any other country on the planet.  

[TeeRick]

14 minutes ago, D C said:

Based on past history of govt websites, it should be up and running by fall and have semi-accurate info by next spring 😉

You are being way too optimistic!😀

[Shadow9612]

12 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I understand the vaccine frustration of our Canadian friends here.  I truly wish you get the doses you need soon and start mass vaccinations in your provinces.  But with that said the USA is at the top of the world list for COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths.  Brazil is a distant second. 

Yes in the US  there is a lot of blame to go around for these sobering statistics.  Some of our states are not following simple measures to control the virus.  Some of our people are selfish.  We have botched it from day 1.  Except we emphasized vaccines as the only true long term solution.

 

Canada has a total population of 38 million.  To put it in perspective the USA has 331 million with the virus still raging and deaths over 534,000.  Our number of reported infections to date is 30 million which is almost equal to the entire population of Canada.  And the CDC estimates more like 80-100 million infections.  Variants are spreading too.  The total Covid deaths in Canada are 22,000 which is less than the number of deaths just in my state (PA) alone.  I think some of the world sees the US as being selfish with the vaccine.  But given our numbers and the risk we pose to the entire world the vaccine is more necessary here right now than any other country on the planet.  

Yes, I agree with you...  Very good points.

 

Thanks @TeeRick, as always, for your excellent perspective.

[BP99]

11 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

 

Canada:  2.9 million doses administered.

 

Hi,

The "good" news is that we will likely get the vaccine by

September. If you call that "good" news.

[TeeRick]

4 minutes ago, BP99 said:

Hi,

The "good" news is that we will likely get the vaccine by

September. If you call that "good" news.

Here is the good news.  Canada approved the J&J one-shot vaccine last week.  If you get the J&J vaccine in the next couple of months your entire (Vaccine-willing) adult population could easily be fully protected by September.  Hang in there!  There are 30 million adults age 18+ in Canada out of 38 million people.

 

"Canada has ordered 10 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and has options for another 28 million, a combined number that is slightly higher than the country’s population."

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/world/canada-approves-the-johnson-johnson-vaccine-giving-it-a-fourth-option.html