Two arms from our household received their first doses of the Moderna vaccine yesterday in South Bend. Neither of the arms is complaining and so far, neither of their attached people feels tired, vomitty, or in any way out of the ordinary. WOOT! WOOT!
We were extremely pleased to see that the Point of Delivery behind South Bend’s Fire Hall was beautifully organized with nurses and other volunteers ready to explain the procedure, handle the paper work, get the vaccine into arms, observe us during a fifteen-minute recovery period, and give us instructions for next steps. A smooth operation from start to finish. Highest of marks for the Pacific County Health Department!
On the other hand, Nyel and I spent a good deal of our homeward journey speculating about the total mess the scheduling has been. Why was the scheduling so hard and the vaccine delivery process so easy? Last night, in response to my spasmodic weekly report to our usual Friday Nighters, we heard the scheduling frustrations, as well as the “success stories,” of some of our friends. It seems incredible, since we’ve known for months now that eventually the vaccine would be “ready,” that the scheduling could be such a mess. Especially when contrasted to the actual delivery process! Obviously our Health Department is up to the second task. What happened in getting ready for it?
I hope that when all is said and done we’ll find out the whys. Could “they” not have used census records to list every Pacific County resident by age and access us that way? Or by address? Or by both? Surely with all the computer possibilities there could have been a way to sort contact information and get in touch with the residents of our small county? But maybe not.
Meanwhile, we’ve been told that our county is out of vaccine for this go-round. Does that mean that they’ve put aside the second doses for which some of us have been scheduled? Unclear. Does it help to know that other areas are having just as much trouble as we are? Not really. We’re all in this together and the only way out is all of us together, as well. We are holding positive thoughts.
In recent days “PC” has taken on an entirely new meaning for me. Not your Personal Computer. Not Politically Correct. Not Police Constable or Probable Cause. No. It’s PANDEMIC COMPLACENCY.
Too, it seems obvious to me that the public is half-hearted in following “suggested” health measures. How else to explain the numbers? And where is our leadership? The Public Health Officials continue with the same old, same old — wear masks, socially distance, wash your hands, stay home if you can. We haven’t heard lately from Governor Inslee. Pandemic Complacency seems to be the name of the game.
As far as I know, our mail-in balloting process in Pacific County has always gone smoothly and I expect that voting in the November election will be seamless this time, too. But it’s always good to have a back-up plan. Just in case.
I actually can’t imagine why anyone would wait until the last minute. Not on this election! Ballots will be mailed to us on October 16th. That gives us a full two weeks to mark our choices and get those ballots in the mail. Most of us already know how we will vote. Mark ’em and mail ’em, I say. It’s a no-brainer.
Well, whatever it was (and I don’t believe “honeymoon” is the correct appellation) there are strong indicators that it’s over. I’m talking here about our initial dealings with one another as we accepted sheltering and distancing and masking and disinfecting as part of daily life. The newspaper and social media were full of the kindnesses and outpourings among us here in Pacific County.
A letter went out to all the owners of second homes here (49% here on the Peninsula; 63% here in Oysterville) asking them to please, stay away for now. (They haven’t — not here, anyway). Then our one of our county commissioners was quoted in a Seattle paper, “If you live in Seattle, stay in Seattle. If you live in Portland, stay in Portland.” The edges began to unravel…
Even when it’s an unhappy ending to an actual honeymoon, most things get worked out… at least for a while. But it usually requires willingness and some conscious effort. I hope that we full-time residents can maintain our equilibrium and support one another with kindness and understanding as we make our way through this. It will make it a lot easier as we decide what the “new normal” will involve. Meanwhile, stay well, stay safe, stay home.
