The Veterans Administration has apparently completed vaccinating the staff at VA hospitals. I received a call on Friday offering me the chance to come in on Saturday or Sunday for the first shot in the series, if I wanted the vaccine. I hesitated about a nanosecond, and made an appointment for Saturday afternoon.
The procedure was very regimented -- they had an assembly line going. This wasn't like the flu shot, where you just walk in, get stuck, and walk out. There was an intake interview, then we got the shot, then they made everyone wait for 15 minutes before we were allowed to leave. Nobody passed out while I was there. It's now 48 hours for me since I got the shot. No nausea so far. My only side effect is that the left arm, where they injected me, feels weak and "tired."
They also gave us a follow-up report sheet, which we're supposed to bring back when we go in for the second shot in three weeks. The hand-out made clear that there is no "approved" vaccine for COVID-19. This vaccine is under "emergency authorization," which is different from "approval." And, given the nature of the follow-up sheet, it's clear that I am part of the beta test group. I don't know if the VA is offering the vaccine to all their patients, or if I got the call because of the number of high risk boxes I tick.
FWIW, the vaccine I was given is the Pfizer version.
