Staying healthy

As we head into the Covid and flu season, people in normie countries can be glad that they’re not facing the chaos that this administration has set loose on the United States. Under the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—a recovering (maybe) heroin addict with a medical history of a worm literally eating part of his brain and insane views on a vast array of medical issues—it’s every state for itself when it comes to distributing the annual booster for a virus that, five years ago, literally stopped the world in its tracks and killed more than a million Americans.

Yeah—vaccines are worse than the disease, according to RFK, Jr., so he’s issued directives severely restricting who can “legitimately” (people over the age of 65, okay (begrudgingly), small children, folks with some medical conditions) receive it and who just has to roll the life-or-death dice (the rest of you suckers). Red states immediately jumped on the no-you-don’t bandwagon—prepare for mass graves in Florida, y’all—and California, Oregon and Washington have banded together in a fuck-you-CDC alliance to ensure that all residents on the West Coast get access.

In the Old Dominion, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has fallen in line with his masters and made it as difficult as he can with the powers he has. So here’s my tale:

I had a video call with my PCP on Monday; the primary purpose for me was to get clarification about the Covid vaccine. As in years past, Medicare will only pay for it if you get it in a pharmacy (no idea why). Being over 65 is an absolute justification for the shot, but my doctor issued me a letter authorizing it for me anyway.

(Now—I had been on the CVS site the previous week; their vaccinations app showed that I could get the shot in a couple of stores not particularly near to me, and only for a couple of days ahead. It wouldn’t let me expand the timeframe. There was a statement that this was predicated on availability, and that they would also welcome walk-ins. I didn’t feel comfortable with the walk-in crapshoot, ergo the convo with my doctor. Interestingly, the app showed availability in Maryland, where the vaccine offered was Moderna; all of Virginia is Pfizer. Also—many Redditors said they drove from Virginia to CVS stores in Maryland, walked in and got the shot without issue.)

Later that day I happened to be near the CVS closest to me (which hadn’t shown up on their app), so I walked in to ask. The pharmacist said 1) they had the vaccine, but 2) I couldn’t get it without a doctor’s prescription. Age didn’t matter—have to have the prescription.

“Everywhere in Virginia, you have to have a prescription.”

Okay—I messaged my doctor, asked her to send the letter she’d issued to me over to the CVS so I could make an appointment. Later that day I received an email from CVS announcing an appointment for 1630 Tuesday.

Well, okay—a little NHS-y in terms of “this is what you get”, although much faster than their usual four to 400 weeks; I debated whether to try to reschedule or just get it done.

Then Tuesday morning, this appeared in my queue:

The link took me to a page that announced no availability anywhere.

So I called the pharmacy—had to leave a message for a callback, because of course you can’t talk with anyone. Someone did call back, however, and said that I could come in at the scheduled time.

Okay—by this point, my anxiety level was almost right up there with autumn of 2020, when they first came out with the vaccine and the process of getting into the queue for something that might save you from a debilitating and deadly virus seemed obscure and arbitrary. (In hindsight, it was a miracle of organization, given the circumstances, and much better communicated than what’s happening now.)

So, I showed up at 1620, checked in, waited about three days and was out by 1640. No worse than last year, really. Muscles at point of injection are a bit sore; otherwise fine.

But I have a couple of words for the Kleptocrat, RFK, Jr., Mehmet Oz (bobble head of Centers for Medicaid & Medicare), Glen Youngkin and all you Republican Rapture-seeking flat-earthers: fuck you.

(Still have the flu shot to go, but I can get that at CVS. Without a prescription.)

 

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