By Nellie Curtiss…
Dolly Parton got her shot and shared it Tuesday on Twitter. Watch her introduce the event with her new rendition of Jolene here: https://twitter.com/DollyParton/status/1366866210852323328?s=20.
The ladies on the View on ABC shared what they thought. They all believe that those Dolly fans who are not too sure about the vaccine may be persuaded because she came forward. I hope so, for the health of all.
We can get our shots here in the Valley. I registered with three places: my clinic, the associated hospital and the other clinic connected with the hospital. But no one called. Two weeks ago, I called Safeway and they didn’t have any at all. I went on Walgreens.com and was able to make an appointment quickly. Last week, I walked in, and asked for the shot, was shown into the treatment room and had the dose in less than 5 minutes. No pain. No side effects.
I am a believer in immunizations. I have received these shots since I was eight years old when my father transferred over seas and we followed soon thereafter. Before we could fly over, we had to have the protocol of shots. At the time, polio was still a threat, and numerous other diseases including tuberculosis. We had to have the shots for polio, smallpox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, rubella, mumps, measles. The TB test required a follow up visit in a couple days.
Usually, my mom would bring my sister and me to the immunization office on the local base. It’s hard to describe the odor permeating the building with its newly polished floors and sterile walls but where doctors and nurses smoked their filtered and unfiltered Winstons, Camels, Lucky Strikes, Chesterfields and Pall Malls.
The room had counters and refrigerators that stored the vaccines. Sterilized needles filled and ready to be slipped into the arm were lined up in a stainless-steel tray. The nurse had a white coat and carried her stethoscope draped around her neck. She wore a US Air Force uniform underneath with the required nurse’s hat on her head. Before she jabbed, she said, “Now be still.” So, I was still as I could be. The consecutive pricks smarted a bit and I almost said “Ouch”; but I got over it when she offered me a candy sucker out of a glass bottle. The candy was no Tootsie Roll Pop, but it moved my brain away from pain. My sister and my mother followed me.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that all three of these vaccines, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, provide protection that will shield us from the Covid virus and variants; plus, the vaccines will keep us from dying from Covid. Protection begins two weeks after the final shot. We can protect ourselves and others who may be at increased risk by getting the vaccine. Next week, I will get my second dose. I hope you will get yours too.
Columns by nellie 