OMAHA, NE — (This article is a first-person account by 3 News Now News Director Geoff Roth as he got his COVID vaccine on Saturday.)
We have done a lot of stories about the vaccination clinics running now as we work towards vaccinating people from COVID-19.
I wanted to document my personal experience as a way of letting people know what the experience is like, and encourage people to get vaccinated when their turn comes up.
The process started for me when the Douglas County Health Department announced on Thursday, Feb 18. that appointments would be open for those 65+ starting no later that Friday at 9 a.m. I set my alarm to wake up shortly after midnight on Friday, hoping the site would be up, and it was.
While many appointment blocks were already filled up, I was able to set an appointment for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Creighton University's Rasmussen Center.
Douglas County's system worked well for me. I got an email confirmation, an email reminder, and even an email from Creighton with maps showing where to park and where to go when I arrived. The setup made it easy to get to the Rasmussen Center, with a drop-off location near the building and shuttle buses from the parking lot down the street.
I arrived about 20 minutes before my appointment and was a bit disheartened to see a very long line. But, one of the Creighton students who volunteered their time to help with the clinic (and BIG kudos to them for all the help they provided) assured everyone that the line moved quickly.
It did. I was in line for about 25 minutes before getting to the front door.
Once inside there were more lines, but again things moved quickly.
First, you registered. That's where they also wanted to make sure all your questions and concerns were answered. Then, you were put in a line to go to one of the many vaccination stations, and then — the shot (I received the Pfizer vaccine).
I barely felt it and the nurses administering the shots were extremely friendly and reassuring.
Afterwards, you sat in a waiting area for around 15 minutes so they could check and make sure you were feeling okay. They also used the time to schedule the second injection in three weeks.
I was a bit disappointed that some people were complaining about the process because it really went smoothly. The whole experience took about an hour, not a lot of time to get protected.
I hope this helps in understanding how the vaccination process works and encourages everyone to get the shot.