A Positive in the COVID Saga
I have written a great deal about the government’s response to the COVID pandemic and little, if any, has been positive. This post is about a positive experience relating to COVID.
On Saturday, March 6, I received my first COVID vaccine shot. That isn’t particularly remarkable, other than it provides me a little relief to the stress imposed by the pandemic. The remarkable aspect isn’t what happened, but how it happened.
In late February, the MD Anderson Cancer Center sent an announcement that each employee could sign up one “loved one” to receive the vaccine. Fortunately for me, my wife, who is an employee at MD Anderson, selected me as her loved one. And so, On March 6 I ventured into the heart of the Texas Medical Center to be injected with the Pfizer vaccine. And that is where the remarkable part of this story begins.
When I arrived at 3:45, there were 150-200 people in line ahead of me, and I was only a few feet inside the building. I envisioned that I would be there until well after dinner time. And then the remarkable things started happening.
Within five minutes, the line had moved enough for me to see the screening area. Within ten minutes I was actually being screened. I then entered another short line to show my identification, insurance card, and receive my vaccine card. At every turn, there was an employee directing traffic, answering questions, and just being helpful.
Within twenty-five minutes of entering the building, I was sitting down to get my vaccine. After the injection, I had to wait fifteen minutes before leaving. From the time I exited the car until I returned was less than forty-five minutes. And when I left, the line was considerably longer than when I arrived.
Given the number of people that MD Anderson was vaccinating, they were incredibly efficient. The entire “event” was well organized, with an abundance of employees to help guide us and answer questions.
As bad as the pandemic has been, this was a positive experience. After a year of endless bungling, it was an absolute joy to experience efficiency and competency.