Through all the ups and downs of this pandemic, the plan to vaccinate the province kept moving slowly. Early this month, my age group finally became eligible for vaccination, through either the province’s official clinics or the local pharmacies. I opted for the latter route, in no small part as the Fredericton area vaccination clinic was troublesome for me to reach (being a pedestrian has its drawbacks). But I scheduled my appointment, which came and went yesterday.
I showed up at the pharmacy about fifteen minutes ahead of time, consent form in hand, not entirely sure what to expect. As it happened, there was only one person ahead of me, and they’d apparently already received their shot, so I was ushered to a room – well, more of a booth – where the final parts of the form could be filled out and the shot administered. The whole process – basic instructions and cautions followed by the shot – was over in five minutes and really quite painless. I’d spent the next fifteen minutes waiting for any adverse effects (there were none), before I was given my immunization record, and the date and time of my next shot, and sent on my way.
For those curious, I was given the Pfizer vaccine, one of the two mRNA vaccines being offered. I’m actually pretty pleased about this – I’m a fan of new technologies, and messenger RNA vaccines are among the newest vaccine options available, with the potential to treat a variety of diseases that up to now have defied earlier efforts. The Pfizer vaccine is also the one with the fewest recorded side-effects in the days after the shot, and this too has proved to be right on the mark. Apart from some soreness at the injection site and a mild headache this afternoon, I’d felt much the same after as I had before. I don’t mind.
Barring unexpected changes, my next shot will be in early September – not entirely chuffed about the delay, but I do understand why it’s happening. Four months is a while to wait, but I’d endured the restrictions for the past fourteen; there is something uplifting about knowing when I can expect a return to something approaching normalcy.
That said, a full return to normal life won’t happen if the rest of the province doesn’t reach the needed vaccination levels. Today’s provincial briefing put a (to me) optimistic date of early August for the lifting of the bulk of restrictions. I say optimistic, because our fully vaccinated level currently stands at just under 5%, so to get to 75% in approximately three months is one heck of an S-curve. However, we’re currently a little over 50% for the population having received their first shot, and the incoming supply is better now than it has been for much of the vaccination period, so who can say?
Until then, I’ll be keeping my mask handy and distancing as much as I can. We’ve come this far; let’s not flub this now that the end is finally in sight.