Vaccine eligibility waiting game tests our patience
Forward continues to be ‘one-man show’ with a double-double as Richards rolls past Eisenhower
Lynn Thoma, director of pharmacy at the HealthLinc clinic in Valparaiso, summed up the feelings for most of us.
“I’ll take this aspect of COVID any day compared to what we’ve been through,” she said while administering my first vaccine shot.
A year ago at this time, I wrote the first of many columns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that dark period in our lives — shrouded in fear and confusion — we’re finally feeling a sense an emerging lightness about this public health emergency.
The word vaccine has also taken on a new meaning in our lives. Even if you’re leery of getting the shot or insistent on never getting one, COVID-19 has forced us to at least contemplate getting this vaccination. I never felt rushed to get it. Nor was I overly worried about contracting this mysterious virus.
I figured I’d be just fine if I happened to test positive (two negative results so far). My positive attitude was based more on statistical data than blind faith. I was more concerned about infecting others, especially if they were vulnerable or already struggling with chronic health conditions.
This is why I started wearing a face mask (admittedly later than most people did), out of respect to those people, and then to obey government mandates and public restrictions. If I honestly felt worried of contracting COVID, I would have also worn protective eyewear and avoided public situations like, yes, the plague.
I felt like taking such precautions in public was more of a civic duty than for my personal protection. If I cared only about my own health, I would never have left home. Getting this vaccine has similar reasoning behind it for me. If it makes people around me feel more comfortable, that’s great. If it makes my elderly mother feel more at ease when I’m standing in her garage six feet away, that’s wonderful. If it prevents me from possibly infecting others, I’m happy to roll up my sleeve, twice.
On Thursday, I got my first of two (Moderna) shots. As I waited the mandatory 15 minutes afterward inside the clinic, I wrote down how I felt about the experience: “In a way, I feel a sense of civic duty, as if I just voted. I’d like to believe I am electing to help protect vulnerable populations of people who may get ill from this overly politicized virus.”
On a table near my seat, I noticed what looked like campaign buttons for everyone’s favorite candidate these days. The buttons boasted, “I GOT MY COVID-19 VACCINE!” in star-spangled red, white and blue. It felt just as rewarding as getting an “I VOTED” sticker on Election Day. Civic duty, public health.
The only negative side effects I’m expecting will be political, not biological. When you tell someone you’ve been vaccinated, they either congratulate you or mock you (to your face or behind your back). Showing them your vaccination record card prompts a similar reaction — either that you’re a team player or you’re carrying the mark of the beast, depending on some people’s level of suspicion.
I wonder just how valuable, or not, this new “passport” will become in my life. Will it be required to board airplanes, or attend public events, or do my job as a journalist? I have no idea.
I feel fortunate to have received this vaccine, based strictly on my age, 58, not my profession, health situation or desperation. The three emergency-order vaccines are a hot commodity, causing vaccine envy, vaccine inequity, and vaccine hunters — people who camp outside clinics hoping to receive a leftover dose before its expiration time.
“I have not visited a clinic near closing time due to my work schedule. I can’t afford to just take a chance every day,” said Christina Rodriguez, of Gary.
She contacted me after finding out about people who don’t meet criteria for a vaccination. She finds it “particularly disgusting” that retail store chains are offering shots to people who may not be eligible. Or giving shots to employees as a job perk.
“Those doses should be going to those people on their wait lists,” she said.
Rodriguez, who’s 49, describes herself as high risk, with a medical history of open heart surgery, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and severe neuropathy. “And I’m an essential retail worker,” she said. “I’m playing Russian roulette with my life everyday waiting for a chance to get the vaccine before COVID gets me.”
She’s tried registering online and calling 211. “The response I got was, ‘You’ll just have to wait a while longer.’ ”
“How are so many people circumventing state and CDC recommendations?” Rodriguez asked.
This vaccine issue has revealed who many people are, I told her.
Getting this vaccine can feel like winning the lottery for people who desperately want or need it. Bots (autonomous online programs) are now being used widespread to book appointments, scanning provider websites to detect openings. Criteria is continually expanding from state to state, depending on age, profession, and health circumstances.
President Joe Biden said every American who wants a shot should be eligible by the end of May. My concern is for people like Rodriguez who have legitimate health problems and who are trying to play by the rules.
“No one has ever offered me their spot,” she said.
Loving classic films can be a fraught pastime. Just consider the cultural firestorm over “Gone With the Wind” this past summer. No one knows this better than the film lovers at Turner Classic Movies who are confronted daily with the complicated reality that many of old Hollywood’s most celebrated films are also often a kitchen sink of stereotypes. Last summer, amid the Black Lives Matter protests, the channel’s programmers and hosts decided to do something about it.
The result is a new series, “Reframed Classics,” which promises wide-ranging discussions about 18 culturally significant films from the 1920s through the 1960s that also have problematic aspects, from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and Mickey
Rooney’s performance as Mr. Yunioshi to Fred Astaire’s blackface routine in “Swing Time.” It kicked off March 4 with “Gone With the Wind.”
“We know millions of people love these films,” said TCM host Jacqueline Stewart, who is participating in many of the conversations. “We’re not saying this is how you should feel about ‘Pyscho’ or this is how you should feel about ‘Gone With the Wind.’ We’re just trying to model ways of having longer and deeper conversations and not just cutting it off to ‘I love this movie. I hate this movie.’ There’s so much space in between.”
Stewart, a University of Chicago professor who in 2019 became the channel’s first African American host, has spent her career studying classic films, particularly those in the silent era, and Black audiences. She knows firsthand the tension of loving films that also contain racial stereotypes.
“I grew up in a family of people who loved classic films. Now, how can you love these films if you know that there’s going to be a maid or mammy that shows up?” Stewart said. “Well, I grew up around people who could still love the movie. You appreciate some parts of it. You critique other parts of it. That’s something that one can do and it actually can enrich your experience of the film.”
While TCM audiences will know her as the host of Silent Sunday Nights, this past summer she was given a bigger spotlight when she was selected to introduce “Gone With the Wind” on HBO Max to provide proper context after its controversial removal from the streaming service.
TCM hosts Ben Mankiewicz,
Dave Karger, Alicia Malone and Eddie Muller will also be part of many conversations. The series, which runs every Thursday through March 25, will also show “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Gunga Din,” “The Searchers,” “My Fair Lady,” “Stagecoach,” “Woman of the Year” and “The Children’s Hour.”
The goal of “Reframed Classics” is to help give audiences the tools to discuss films from a different era and not just dismiss or cancel them. And Stewart, for her part, doesn’t believe that you can simply remove problematic films from the culture.
“I think there’s something to be learned from any work of art,” she said. “They’re all historical artifacts that tell us a lot about the industry in which they were made, the cultures that they were speaking to.”
The Anthony Taylor Show rolled Friday night into Eisenhower, and it didn’t disappoint.
The 6-foot-7 senior forward scored 21 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out four assists for the Bulldogs during a 66-51 South Suburban Red victory.
Taylor has been a one-man wrecking crew this season for Richards (8-1, 8-1), averaging 25.5 points and 11 rebounds.
“We rely on Anthony so much,” Richards coach Chris Passafiume said. “He’s so versatile and can do so many things. He’s been a one-man show at times. He’s our guy.”
Taylor had some help against Eisenhower (3-8, 3-8). Junior guard Santiago Rios scored 16 points and junior guard Travis Garmon added 11.
For the Cardinals, senior forward Taijon Barry scored 18 points and senior center Keon Mitchell chipped in with 14.
Whenever Eisenhower would make a run, however, Taylor answered the call.
It has been that way all season.
“At certain points, guys will look at him and he knows to take over,” Passafiume said of Taylor. “He’s not settling for threes like he did a lot last year. He gets what he wants when he goes to the rim.
“He’s hard to stop because of his length.
He’s not forcing things. He’s taking what defenses are giving him.”
The previous two seasons, Taylor would defer to older teammates in Trevon Jones and Kajuan Wines. On a side note, Taylor will join Jones and Wines next season at Moraine Valley.
There have been two big changes in Taylor’s game. He’s more assertive on offense and he’s more willing to drive to the basket.
“Last year, I shot more threes,” Taylor said. “Now, I choose my shots more wisely. I can still shoot the three, but I’m more comfortable going to the basket.
“It’s my show now. I’ve definitely looked forward to this.”
The same can’t be said for opponents. Eisenhower coach Neil Miguez devised a game plan on trying to slow down Taylor.
“If you would have told me before the game we’d hold him to 21 points, I would have taken it,” Miguez said. “He’s very smooth and very tough. It’s not just his scoring. He makes good passes and pulls down rebounds. He makes good decisions.”
Taylor hasn’t only been leading on the stat sheet. He’s also been a mentor to the younger players.
“He’s like having another coach on the court,” Passafiume said. “He’s a good teacher. If a teammate isn’t in the right spot, he’ll talk to him. He’s very unselfish. He never gets too high or too low.”
The Cardinals trailed 21-15 midway through the second quarter before Rios buried a 3-pointer and Taylor converted consecutive baskets. Just like that, Richards led 32-22 at halftime.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Taylor said. “Guys know each other on both teams. We want to win conference, and this was another game that got us one step closer.”
And with Taylor leading the way, the Bulldogs like their chances.
“He always has our back,” Rios said. “When we need him to step up, he leads us to the win. He can do it all. It makes me feel like I have to do that next year.”
Speaking of next year, Taylor knows if he wants to make an impact at Moraine, he will have to get stronger.
“I’m going to live in the weight room this summer,” he said. “Just like I lived in the gym this past offseason. It’s paid off.”