Vaccine Envy

My friend got a vaccine.

“Don’t tell anybody”, she said.

No one wants to hear that you’ve gotten your vaccine.

It’s cutthroat out there.

We’re all competing against each other. Everyone wants to be first to score an appointment. Or first to the registration line. Or first to find out where the registration line is forming.

Dog eat dog.

And if you’re not computer savvy you’re really screwed. You have to enlist a thirty-something to come to your aid. And live at your house.

I know there are consultants working outside the system to get people registered. I just know it. Earning big bucks I’ll bet.

And there’s the whole crossing state line business. For a few weeks, New York has been giving shots to sixty-five plus. Massachusetts is right next door and still isn’t giving shots to seventy-five plus. Wow! So you can’t help thinking about gaming the system. With a freelance job you had in New York last year. Or ownership of the apartment you rented last January from your cousin.

It’s not pretty.

Particularly if you’re outside of the approved vaccination group for your state. So you get your shot but you’re not an essential worker or doctor or old enough. You simply knew somebody that knew somebody. And your timing was right.

A friend of mine did that. “Don’t tell anyone”, they said. “I’ll get lynched.”

And it’s going to get worse. Supplies are limited. Staffing is limited. Organization is limited.

Somewhere along the line when vaccines were first considered, someone forgot what the total population of the country was. And to multiply it times two.

So, on the vaccine front, proceed carefully. Stay in your lane. Be vigilant. Tip heavily.

And remember, loose lips sink ships.

Mum’s the word.

Originally published at https://marymottwrites.com on January 28, 2021.