Two days ago I was sitting in my local pharmacy getting my first dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. I am 20 years old, was declined a doctor's note for my intermittent asthma, and I am not an employee of the public school system. By all accounts I should not be on my way to immunity to the coronavirus right now, but despite efforts to keep young people from getting vaccinated I am one step closer to being able to live my life without worrying about getting coronavirus.

After sharing images of my bandaged arm I was immediately asked by several of my friends, and even some people I've never met before, how I was able to get vaccinated. Did I have a doctors note? Was I working for a school? Did I know a doctor or nurse personally? All of those questions can be answered "no". In fact, the way I got vaccinated is accessible to anyone. The way I got vaccinated was by being persistent in searching for vaccines.

Let me be more specific; almost every day for about a week I called my pharmacy and asked them if they had leftover doses that they were going to throw away. I would call multiple times a day to ask about the status of the appointments that others had made and not shown up to hoping that there would be an extra dose at the end of the day. Sometimes I would be sent to voicemail or bounced to the main store number because the pharmacists were getting so many other calls. In these situations I didn’t call back in order to avoid taking up their time and resources with questions about availability. Eventually on Monday the 15th at 6:52 PM, after 5 days of calling and being told no, I finally heard the magic words: "I actually think I might have one extra." I was inside the pharmacy so quickly to claim the extra vaccine that the pharmacist was still on the phone with me when I walked in the door.

Here's the craziest part of my vaccination story: when I was done with my 15 minute monitoring period there were still doses left over. My sister and my uncle along with a bunch of other people were able to get vaccinated that night because they had so many leftover doses. This tells us two things: one, that it's worth calling your pharmacy to see if they have leftover doses and two, that eligible people are not demanding the vaccine at a high enough rate to avoid waste. The age window lowered to 60 the same day I got vaccinated. I assumed that the lowering of the age would mean that more people would be vying to claim doses, but instead there were at least three and likely closer to six or seven doses that would have ended up in the trash if I hadn't called and asked if they had leftovers.

Since some people reading this may have reservations about getting vaccinated, let me share my honest experience with the process and side effects to hopefully encourage you to feel more comfortable with seeking out opportunities to get the vaccine. The shot itself was totally painless. It was easier than many shots I've had and was over in the blink of an eye. In the 15 minute monitoring period immediately after the shot, I experienced no allergic reactions or side effects. The only side effect I had was that my arm began to feel sore just as it would after a flu shot or any other vaccine. About an hour after getting the vaccine I felt like I may be starting to get a headache, and so I took an ibuprofen and felt fine. The next day my arm felt tight but didn't necessarily hurt. I experienced some mild itching and the injection area was warm to the touch. And now today, I feel almost completely back to normal aside from a tightness in my chest and a sore arm. I never got a fever, did not experience body aches or nausea, and was able to be active the night of the vaccine, the entirety of the following day, and today as well. I look forward to getting my second dose on April 12 and I encourage all of you who are reading this to take agency over your situation and get vaccinated if you're able. The vaccine means peace of mind, a return to normal, and reconnecting with our own world. I can't wait to watch tv shows with my boyfriend without having to wear a mask. I'm excited to eat inside of a restaurant again. I miss being at my college campus and seeing all of my friends in Tallahassee. By being persistent and calling my pharmacy every evening I was able to secure that future for myself. So please, do the same if you can!