Residents relieved to get 2nd COVID vaccine shots
Event was for those ages 75 years and older
Besides possibly the Godfather Part II, the Dark Knight and Empire Strikes Back, it’s rare that a sequel of something holds up to an original.
That being said, most of the Solano County residents that showed up Tuesday at the Benicia Senior Center were more excited about their followup COVID-19 shot than their first.
A month after Solano County residents that are 75 years or older received their first COVID-19 shot from Moderna, Benicia hosted another clinic for those same people to get the second and final vaccination. Once again 1,500 people were expected to get a shot by the end of the day, but this time the process had even more of a celebratory mood to it.
“I feel great, happy and I know now I get to run around like the young kids,” said Joyce Smith of Fairfield. “I wasn’t nervous this time or the first time. When I saw a lot of the politicians going out and getting it I figured I should do the same thing. I feel OK and I barely felt the shot in the arm. It’s a relief really. Now I can go out and go gambling again!”
Benicia resident Nan Lorenzen told the Times-Herald at the first event on Feb. 2 the “event (was) so fantastic and well organized” and that she was “in awe of everyone helping out.” A month later she felt the same way when talking with the Times-Herald.
“I feel the same, I feel fine!” Lorenzen said. “I’m still going to social distance and always wear a mask, but now I can visit some friends. There are some people I haven’t seen in a year and now I’ll be comfortable seeing them.
“This is most fantastic and once again the event ran as smooth as it possibly could have,” Lorenzen continued. “It felt great to have volunteers everywhere you went telling you what to do do and where to go. Their attitude was wonderful.”
Lindsay Zarcone, a recreation supervisor with Parks and Community Services, was handing out “I Got My COVID-19 second shot!” stickers and was also taking photos as residents went into the 15-minute waiting areas after being administered the vaccine.
“Most people that are coming through here are very thankful and grateful to have had this experience,” Zarcone said. “I haven’t seen anyone yet with tears of joy, but a lot of people saying, “Let’s go home and celebrate!”
Benicia Fire Department Chief Josh Chadwick said that 200 people per hour were receiving a shot as they were fulfilling their goal of 50 people per 15 minutes.
“This time the event ran even more smoothly because people knew what to expect this time, especially with the parking and drop-off,” Chadwick said. “It also went quicker because the first time everyone had to sign a consent form before getting the shot. This time we we didn’t need that and we were able to bypass the entire registration portion of the event.
“There seems to be a large feeling of gratefulness and politeness and relief,” Chadwick continued. “Nothing negative. It makes all of the city staff feel wonderful when people come up to us and tell us we’re doing a good job. I have to thank the city manager (Erik Upson) for doing whatever it takes to get this done. I have to thank the community and the volunteers such as SolTrans, Valero and Carquinez Village and of course Kaiser.”
Chadwick said that there were very few changes made for the second event, but that the big change was to have more markers on the ground saying where one could stand.
“We were worried a little bit that we weren’t staying six feet apart enough last time so we wanted to do better this time with that,” Chadwick said. “It’s hard to tell now as there is a little bit of a lull with the crowd, but earlier the markers on the ground really helped keep people six feet apart.”
Social distancing is something Benicia resident Darshan Ghiya said he’s going to continue to do, even after getting the second shot and no matter where he is.
“I’m really looking forward to taking a vacation, maybe to India,” Ghiya said, with a laugh. “I really miss socializing with friends.”
What would Ghiya say to people on the fence about getting the shot?
“It doesn’t hurt at all,” Ghiya said. “In fact I didn’t even know the shot had been given until the doctor put on the Band-Aid. The Band-Aid hurt more than the shot!”