First, Governor, it’s not “free!”  I cringe when I hear the public service announcement.  Pharmaceutical companies are getting a windfall from the federal treasury, which operates on borrowed money.  Which I’ll have to pay back.  Along with my children and grandchildren.

After months of consideration, I decided for the first time in a quarter-century that I would get a vaccine.  COVID and flu.  At my local drug store.  On a Friday night, I called and set up an appointment but was told I couldn’t get both vaccines at the same time.  When I arrived early for my appointment, I waited until after the appointed time before a pharmacist greeted me.  If I had been late, would there have been a penalty?

Here’s the thing, if I didn’t have insurance can I still get the COVID vaccine?

The address the pharmacy had under my name was a place I haven’t resided in seven years.  The fellow looked over my insurance card and said he would need more.  I told him I had no idea what he was talking about.  So, he took my card and called Anthem.

Bureaucratic Nightmare

When he came back, he explained that the automated system he had reached had disconnected his call.  Though, the computerized voice on the other side explained a special card had been mailed to me last year.  What special card?  I have no recollection.  Once a year I get an envelope in the mail containing a large piece of plastic.  The new card has a smaller perforated section.  Each year I remove it and place it in my wallet.  The old card is cut into smaller pieces and thrown away.

The pharmacist told me I could’ve gotten both COVID and flu shots during the visit before turning me away!

I Thought This Was Supposed to be Easy

Here’s the thing, if I didn’t have insurance can I still get the COVID vaccine?  After all, Governor Brad Little says it’s easy and free.  Or it’s easy if you’re called Governor.

I wasn’t going to get a COVID jab to save your grandmother.  If she got the shot, she should have no fear of me.  Or you would think so.  Two of my friends died weeks apart and the autopsy listed the China virus.  One was vaccinated.  I’m not sure about the other.  They were both missionaries for Christ in the sports world.  In my mind, both made it to heaven.

Which is my goal.  I want to get back to church but hesitate about large gatherings.  Usually, two dozen people shake my right hand.  Including an usher who has gripped 300 hands.  Then I go home and incubate for 36 to 48 hours and wake up with a raging respiratory illness.

Nobody Likes Being Sick

The last one happened just before we recognized the pandemic.  I coughed to the point where I thought my ribs would break.  It required me to fold my arms and lean against a wall or the back of a chair.

Now I’m told by liberal do-gooders to get an experimental jab and all will be well.  They didn’t tell me about the bureaucracy.  I’m back to taking my chances.  Like most people have done throughout human history.

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

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