Vaccinated
Today I got my first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine. This of course makes me incredibly happy. So much that I was giggling to myself on my drive home.
However, that I got this shot today is also another symptom of how totally fucked up Germany's handling of the pandemic is.
In theory only high risk people should be receiving vaccinations currently - the old, the chronically sick, health care workers, etc.
I'm the opposite. I am middle aged, reasonably healthy, in home office for more than a year, childless and have virtually no risky contacts. I should be last.
The reason I got vaccinated today are boomers and privilege.
The vaccine I got is AstraZeneca. It's not one of the fancy mRNA vaccines and apparently has a (very low) risk of causing deadly blood clots. This risk is highest for young people, especially young women. Which is why it is recommended to be used to vaccinate old people. But boomers don't want AstraZeneca. They want the “good stuff”.
So Berlin decided to skip vaccination priority for AstraZeneca and primarily distributes it via general practitioners. This of course came completely unprepared. The result is that all general practices are completely overwhelmed with requests. Reaching a doctor by phone or email has become mostly impossible - even if you need a doctor for something else than the vaccination.
And of course now high risk patients have to compete with the general public for vaccinations at general practitioners. The official vaccination centers (which are still the primary source for mRNA based vaccinations) are completely booked for the coming months but are mostly the only chance for high risk patients now.
So how did I get an appointment? Basically because I got a tip through my network. Another white male friend let me know of a GP who had appointments online. But of course this only worked in conjunction with all my other privileges.
I'm fluent with computers and the German language, so the online booking was simple for me. I am educated enough to understand the risks involved with taking AstraZeneca. I am male, so the GPs prefer me over women, because of the lower blood clot risk. I have a car, so I can safely drive the 1.5 hours to the other end of the city without risking infection on public transport. I have a job where I simply can take off the whole afternoon on a whim. I am childless so I don't need to organize childcare while I'm gone. If I get the typical flu like symptoms tomorrow, I'll just call in sick.
So while I'm really fucking happy to finally have gotten my vaccination, it's a bittersweet feeling to know that there are a lot less-privileged people who could have used that shot more than me.
Of course I will continue to isolate, wear a mask and do whatever I can to protect others.