COVID19

For posterity . . .

December 18, 2020

I apologize if this photo brings negative feelings to anyone waiting for their own shot, but having posted for months on end about COVID-19, it would be really bizarre not to include the above picture.

I had a vax appointment today at 9:00 (made via the online health portal) and arrived around 9:05 (oops). There was a short line at the door and we were reminded to complete check-in online (via our system’s online health portal). Then there was a rather fast moving line and probably ~30 simultaneous vaccine stations! (Josh had said 50 but I think 30 is probably more accurate).

A quick verbal screening (nope, no allergies etc) and then they gave it to me. Then we waited 15 minutes in a holding area while we scheduled dose #2 (Jan 7th for me). And then – that was it!

I did feel a bit emotional as I got in the car. But mostly just very very lucky. I am honestly just so impressed at how quickly after roll out our institution got these doses and implemented such an efficient delivery system.


I know there are others in higher risk groups who are directly intubating COVID patients without clear vaccination dates on the horizon and that is understandably infuriating. If that is you, I hope that there are shots for you very very soon. I am patient facing — have been seeing almost all of my outpatients in person for the past ~4 months after a brief hiatus in summer at the height of our FL surge, and I never stopped seeing inpatients / hospital consults though I only do those things when I am on call. But I am definitely not the highest highest risk tier (by age or by profession) and I know that it can be frustrating to see an uneven rollout.

That said, I also know due to the cold storage chain needed, some of the ability to get the vaccine early is just based on logistics and luck. I am very grateful to have been in this early group along with all of the other patient-facing healthcare workers at our system and some neighboring ones.

Also grateful for the scientists who developed and tested the vaccines so quickly, for those who participated in the early trials.

SO! Hoping the trucks keep coming, and Moderna’s approval is very encouraging! Happy Friday. Cannot wait until we are all past this thing.

36 Comments

  • Reply Sabrina December 18, 2020 at 11:14 am

    Amazing! Go science! 🙂

  • Reply Marie December 18, 2020 at 11:53 am

    Love this! Congratulations.

  • Reply Nanette December 18, 2020 at 11:54 am

    This is so so exciting! Thank you so much for sharing all of this and taking us on this journey with you! I know that I am a while down the road in having the vaccine available to me but I am super excited and hopeful that my older parents can get it soon!

  • Reply Chelsea December 18, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    So encouraging! Thanks for sharing.

  • Reply Amanda Perrine December 18, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    Yay! It’s so wonderful to see these photos!

  • Reply Grateful Kae December 18, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    Exciting! The hospital I work for has rolled it out too, but I’m not included in the first wave since currently I don’t have an in-person patient care role. Hopefully eventually, though! I’ve been enjoying seeing all of my provider friends’ FB vaccine posts the last couple of days. 🙂

  • Reply Cindy December 18, 2020 at 12:31 pm

    So lucky ! My husbands hospital is behind in receiving. Our son got his Wednesday in MO. Beautiful Thing!

  • Reply Jessica December 18, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    SO EXCITING! Seeing you get the vaccine so early makes it so much more real! Makes me feel more thankful and hopeful 🙂 thanks for sharing

  • Reply Nikki December 18, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    woohoo! definitely a milestone and an event worth celebrating!

  • Reply Amy December 18, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Woo hoo! My sister (a patient facing NP) got hers yesterday. So exciting!!!

  • Reply Lori C December 18, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    YAYYYYY!!!!

  • Reply Amanda Millstein December 18, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    Yesssss!!!!!

  • Reply Amanda December 18, 2020 at 3:05 pm

    Exciting for you and Josh, and also exciting to know U Miami is among the first hospital systems to receive the Pfizer vaccine!

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 18, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      Did they get it too? That’s great!!!

  • Reply Grief December 18, 2020 at 4:09 pm

    I am so much happier seeing your picture of shot than Mitch & Pence who were both complicit in the decision to encourage the spread of the virus in the face of science to achieve what they claimed would be herd immunity and has proven to be mass slaughter. I notice today the government is still not disbursing the full available vaccines and have to assume this is a continuation of their mass murder plan.

  • Reply Lee December 18, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    Honestly it made me emotional with relief to see your photo. Bless you and all healthcare workers, especially those in the most danger and difficulty! This is a picture of hope for all of us!

  • Reply Katie December 18, 2020 at 5:20 pm

    Yay, Sarah! Thank you so much for sharing this photo; I think it’s really important to do so. I live in Canada in a province where those working in long-term care homes are currently the first to get the vaccine. I know it’s definitely not fair the way the vaccine is being rolled out (proportionate to need, at least) in parts of the US right now, but you absolutely did the right thing it getting it when it was offered to you. May the rest of us soon follow! Thanks for all of your wonderful blog posts and podcasts this year – they’ve made 2020 a little brighter. 🙂

  • Reply Sam December 18, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    This picture makes me happy!

  • Reply Melissa December 18, 2020 at 11:52 pm

    Watching from Australia what’s happened in the US, I’ve really felt sorry for you all who have been doing the right thing but have been let down by your government and fellow citizens who haven’t been prepared to do the hard yards to protect the community. Our lockdown in Melbourne due to our second wave was hard, but I’m so glad our leaders had the courage to hold the course to go from 700+ cases per day to zero community transmission. It’s good to see the vaccinations have begun for the US and health workers will finally be protected. Sending best wishes.Stay safe!

  • Reply Katie December 19, 2020 at 3:47 am

    Interesting to hear how other health systems are rolling this out. I’m a GP in England and I have had the jab and this week my practice has been part of the rollout in our town and we have vaccinated 900 over 80s (at our local fire station!) plus 70 care home residents with 10 more care homes planned for 30/12. Locally for you does anyone take responsibility for these vulnerable groups or is it down to individual care homes and people contacting their family physicians?

  • Reply Kwan December 19, 2020 at 6:24 am

    Uniqlo shirt?!
    And how are you feeling physically after? Any other side effects besides a sore arm?

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 19, 2020 at 1:24 pm

      How did you ID that tee?! Impressive! Honestly I feel pretty crappy but worth it!

      • Reply Lani Inlander December 19, 2020 at 3:55 pm

        You wore our favorite tee to be vaccinated! Whoo hoo! Congratulations!

        • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 19, 2020 at 7:08 pm

          I now have like 8 colors 😂

          • Lani Inlander December 19, 2020 at 7:46 pm

            I love it, you beat me! I had six colors but one got stained so I’m down to five. I do have multiples of the navy and black though 🙂

  • Reply Irene December 19, 2020 at 7:42 am

    Very very happy for you and Josh. Thanks for sharing this to give me a moment of hope. We have additional restrictions going into place where I live but it won’t be enough unless people start making better choices.

  • Reply Omdg December 19, 2020 at 8:16 am

    Congrats! Admin is getting it first here too.

    • Reply Maria December 19, 2020 at 12:26 pm

      What? It is unacceptable that they would not prioritize their frontline healthcare workers over admin staff. Are you at Stanford? These institutions should be publicly called out on these outrageous practices

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 19, 2020 at 1:00 pm

      I hope you get it soon. Every employee in our system was encouraged to sign up. No tiers or restrictions.

      • Reply Omdg December 20, 2020 at 5:58 am

        Yes, so we’re we. There are 26,000 people all of whom are considered “tier 1A” but who have widely disparate exposure and health risks. My institution is doing us all randomly, so we were told to expect to wait 4-6 months.

        • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 20, 2020 at 9:23 am

          WHAT!? That is so frustrating. I’m so sorry.

  • Reply Geneva December 19, 2020 at 9:28 am

    Congrats! Your ability to plan helped you get the vaccine right away. I know providers who missed the earlier window because they didn’t do the online portal / scheduling in time and now have to wait…

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 19, 2020 at 12:58 pm

      No ninja planning techniques were necessary. It is just pure luck that I work for a large health care system that got a lot of doses and had a plan in place to distribute quickly. honestly here luckily everyone who has wanted it has been able to sign up! Every employee that sees patients.

  • Reply Heather L Kinsey December 19, 2020 at 6:12 pm

    Hi Sarah, I’m sorry to hear you are feeling crappy as well. I am an RN and got mine yesterday and have just felt really off, mostly exhausted but thought maybe it was just because it was Friday and I tend to be pretty tired at the end of the week. Even my husband who is a physician said that he thought I seemed a little off…would still do it again though! Do you have to get a second one in a couple of weeks? I’ve heard that one is even worse ):

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 19, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      Yep! January 7! I’m simultaneously looking forward to it and dreading it :). Arm is less sore but still headache … hoping to wake up feeling more normal!

  • Reply Sarah Jane December 20, 2020 at 12:16 am

    Excellent! I share the feelings of a little guilt, knowing there are employees that are at higher risk who don’t have it yet. I’m a community hospitalist pediatrician, seeing sick and well newborns and kids in the ER. It’s the ER part at one particular smaller hospital that I cover once/month that got me in the first tier. Arm soreness got pretty bad and I was achy/fatigued for several hours around the 18-hour point, but that has completely passed now. Definitely planning to make sure not to get the 2nd dose just before a shift!

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