First shot

I got my first vaccination shot this morning. I feel extremely lucky to have been eligible and to have found an appointment.

I had been really nervous before the appointment - what if they change the eligibility rules? what if they run out of vaccine doses? what if my confirmation wasn't really confirmed? But when all was said and done, the process was very smooth and relatively easy.

I went to a mass vaccination center pretty far from my home so getting there was a bit of a hassle, but once I was there it was smooth sailing. They had the process down to a science - you go in, show them your paperwork, they sit you down in carefully-spaced rows, and call you to a little table where they do the actual vaccination. The shot itself was about as close to painless as any shot I've ever gotten, much easier than a flu shot. (In fact, it was so fast and easy that I asked the nurse if she had actually done it already when she said it was done.) Afterwards they had me sit for fifteen minutes to make sure there were no adverse reactions, and then they let me go. Aside from the driving  there and back the whole thing took about twenty minutes.

I feel a huge sense of relief about taking this step. I know that it's only the first shot, and I know that it will take a couple of weeks before it confers any actual immunity, but it is still a big step in the right direction. Of course my wife isn't eligible yet and it will be some time before the kids can be vaccinated, so there is still a long way to go, but for the first time since this whole thing began, I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.