COVID vaccination an efficient process

The much-publicized vaccination screwups were on my mind as I went to the VA for my shots. The entire country heard about the chaos in other places, but I could not imagine it would be like that at the VA. Still, doubts crept in. Florida and New York couldn’t get their acts together. Why would Connecticut and the VA be any better? Whatever doubts I had vanished the instant I walked through the VA entrance.

I arrived 10 minutes early. There was no chaos, no anxious crowds, only smiling faces. At the door, a lady asked if I was there for my vaccination and, when I nodded yes, pointed to a desk with a handprinted cardboard sign reading “Vaccinations.” After asking my name and last four, the lady at the desk asked the usual pandemic questions about travel and exposure, then crossed my name off a list. Pointing to an area near the hallway entrance, she directed me to wait there until someone would escort me to the vaccination area. Walking over, two smiling ladies greeted me warmly and confirmed why I was there. Within five minutes, another lady appeared and asked another waiting vet and me to follow her to the elevator.

Upstairs, she passed me off to the checkin lady who took my name, last four and date of birth. After entering my arrival into the system, she asked me to wait nearby where someone would escort me to a vaccinating room. Before I reached a chair, another lady motioned me to follow her and took me to a room usually used as an examining room. There, Sue met me with a gracious smile. Everyone I met so far was smiling — big, warm smiles.

Sue, who typically works in the gastrointestinal section giving colonoscopies, reviewed my medical history, including allergies. After chatting easily and studying my medical record, she gave me a Pfizer shot and told me I should wait 30 minutes rather than the usual 10 because I am allergic to penicillin. Sue jotted the time I could leave on a post-it slip, handed me a small stack of papers, and led me around the corner where a line of nurses was waiting in the hallway.

The new nurse asked how I felt, made an appointment for my second shot in three weeks, and handed me off to another lady who escorted me to the waiting area. She took the post-it note and pasted it on the arm of the chair. Most other vets with no allergies had only 10-minute waits.

While waiting, friendly young ladies came by every few minutes and chatted lightly. They were checking for reactions to the vaccinations. They were the last link in a fantastic operation that gave us a sense of safety and comfort. Maybe more than most patients, vets admire an efficient process. We understand the hard work that goes into planning something that goes off so smoothly.

To every person at the VA who greeted me with a smile, I say thank you.

Ron Osterberg

Bridgeport