Thinking back to the time when I got vaccinated.

[MineralMan]

I was in a state vaccine lottery system, which was reserved for people 70 and older and for some health care providers and other essential workers. I signed up and waited for over two months before I could get my shots. The location was the Minneapolis Convention Center, so it meant a 15 minute drive and then a wait in a long line. No problem for me, but...

It took a very long time before the COVID-19 vaccines were available in an easier to access environment. It was somewhat easier for my wife, who got hers a month later, after she turned 65. Still, she had to call around to find a pharmacy that had appointments available. She found one, finally, after I suggested she contact pharmacies in counties that had voted for Trump. She did, and got her first shot the next day. It meant driving half an hour, but she got her shot.

Overall, it has been too difficult for people to gain access to a vaccination. Now, you can just walk in to just about any pharmacy and get one, but that has not always been the case.

The problem is that the difficulty early on gave time for the anti-vaxxers to spread their poisonous skepticism and doubt.

Early on, the media had massive coverage on how to sign up and get on the list. Now, there's nothing in the media about where to get vaccinated. Many people still don't know how to get their shots. Many don't know that it's absolutely free. Many don't know that their nearest pharmacy, even the one in the supermarket, Target, or Walmart can give you the shot at any time right now.

[DFW]

1. In the EU, it was total chaos until very recently

My wife and I were told (in March) "MAYBE at the end of August. We'll get in touch."

As a contrast, when we knew we were going to the USA in April for the birth of our grandson, I asked my head office in Dallas if they could schedule a vaccination ten days in advance. They asked me back, "TEN days? All we need is three or four days notice."

Sure enough, I reminded them on April 8th from Düsseldorf, and we got our first round of Moderna in Dallas on April 12th, with round 2 scheduled for May 10th. All I needed was my Texas driver's license, and all my wife needed was to be married to me. From a paperwork point of view, it was, ironically enough, more complicated for me than for her. Since I was registered for Medicare, they asked for the card (I didn't have it with me). They said no sweat, they would get the info from Washington (took 15 minutes). Since my wife is not registered with Medicare (DUH, she is a German citizen resident in Germany), she was not asked for any such documentation. We were in and out of there in 35 minutes, including the 15 minutes they asked us to hang around in case there were any immediate complications (there weren't).

[halfulglas]

3. The difference between you and your wife was which money pot to bill.

The money for the shots comes from the government, but the "bill" for yours goes to Medicare. The "bill" for your wife's goes to the the agency handling the COVID relief money. When I got mine I had to have my Medicare card even though the National Guard and county were administering the shots. Even so, much more efficient the second time from the first.

[DFW]

4. With me, it was the opposite.

The first time, the Medicare paperwork was done immediately. The second time, Washington couldn't find anything. Luckily, the place we got vaccinated was loose enough to tell us they'd go ahead with the vaccination, and they'd do the follow up paperwork later. Since it worked the first time, they figured they'd figure it out eventually. With my wife, it was the same. They didn't even have a place on their form for "Düsseldorf" where it said "city" and their computer went TILT when we tried to fill in "Nordrhein-Westfalen" for "State." We scrubbed it all, and for the first and only time, made my wife an unofficial resident of the USA in Dallas, Texas. Their computer liked it, anyway.

[frazzled]

2. There are ample signs on the doors and interiors of pharmacies

See visible CVS and Walgreen's photos below. (A local CVS I visited recently had a prominent sign on the entrance door advertising FREE WALK-IN VACCINES)

People who intend the shots know how and where to get them (they can even get them at their homes, and receive a $50 gift certificate in my city). People who don't intend to get the vaccine also know where to get them. They just don't want to.

[MineralMan]

5. Not everyone visits those places regularly.

You're thinking about this from your own perspective. Not everyone lives your life.

[frazzled]

7. Everyone has to go somewhere to get a vaccine

Don’t lecture about my perspective. At this point, everyone who wants one has the ability to easily access a free vaccine. The information is on the radio, tv, newspapers, and at community centers, local stores, and soon schools. They’re begging people to get them.

Maybe you need to examine your perspective.

[AngryOldDem]

6. I got on the state's website the minute I became eligible.

I had to book an appointment almost two months in advance. Now, where I live, vaccinations are everywhere. There are signs along a street near me, in fact, advertising a clinic this weekend. I’ve seen signs in other areas as well. There is a farmer’s market where I work that has free shots every week. Supermarkets here have posters all over the place. Same with pharmacies.

If people don’t “know” where to go, they just don’t want the shots. Short of taking people by the hand, I don’t know what more can be done, at least where I’m at.