Got an emailed letter on the 26th from Southampton Hospital addressed to “Dear Friends” which says, in part, that while the hospital is beginning to see a decline in Covid-19 admissions, “we urge you to remain vigilant about wearing facemasks, maintaining social distancing, and frequently wringing your hands. . . .”
Umm, make that “washing your hands.” I was interpolating, but wringing them is actually what I’ve been doing a lot lately when it comes to getting a vaccination appointment.
So, I went that night onto the state’s Am I Eligible website to see if there were anything encouraging there. Ah, a long list of state-run vaccination sites comprising the Javits Center in the city, Jones Beach-Field 3, the State Fair Expo Center in Syracuse, SUNY Albany, the Westchester County Center in White Plains, SUNY Stony Brook University’s Innovation and Discovery Center, SUNY Potsdam’s Field House, Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, the Plattsburgh International Airport’s Connecticut Building, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Polytech Institute’s Wildcat Field House in Utica, the University of Buffalo South Campus’s Harriman Hall, and the Rochester Dome Arena in Henrietta.
After all of them, with the exception of SUNY Potsdam and the Plattsburgh International Airport, was written, “No Appointments Available Currently.”
“Guess what! There are appointments available at the Plattsburgh International Airport!” I called out to Mary, who was, as part of a defensive driving quiz, being cautioned not to take both hands off the steering wheel upon hitting a pedestrian.
“Potsdam too, I hear!” she replied from the computer room.
“Well, it’s a no-brainer: Plattsburgh is an hour nearer,” I said after querying Google. “Just six hours and 55 minutes away, a straight shot once you get on the Thruway. Or, we could fly. There are direct flights from D.C. . . .”
Such bantering I find to be a spirit-booster. It’s fun when we needle each other, when we talk in a humorous vein.
Getting an appointment remained a shot in the dark throughout the rest of the week, until, on Friday morning, as I was — no joking — reading in Newsday about people from Long Island actually driving to Plattsburgh and Potsdam, Mary aligned me with a CVS pharmacy near the New London ferry landing. I was to have sailed there yesterday, but didn’t because a storm was forecast for Tuesday in Connecticut.
These are indeed trying times. So, we’ll keep trying.