Pattison Media Director of Information Programming, Teena Monteleone, receiving her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. (Submitted photo/paNOW Staff)

By Teena Monteleone

vaccinated

Long wait, short jab: Sticking it to COVID

Apr 30, 2021 | 5:00 PM

Opinion: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the writer of this piece do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of paNOW or Pattison Media.

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Forget thirty, flirty and thriving. I’m forty, fabulous and Pfizer-ing.

Being 40 meant I could roll up my sleeve this morning to get my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. I found out late yesterday afternoon that the drive-thru site located at Thorpe Brother’s off Hwy 2 N would be open at 9 a.m. and run through the weekend. I thought I would be way ahead of the game arriving shortly after 7 a.m. with a couple of shows downloaded on my Netflix app. But there are people much more prepared and ambitious than myself—at least 100 of them were ahead of me. News through the COVID-19 wait line grapevine was that the first person arrived at 1 a.m.

Teacher Christine Ruten arrived at the vaccine drive-thru site at 4:15 a.m. (Submitted photo/Christine Ruten)

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Christine Ruten arrived at around 4:15 a.m. and found herself seventh in line. The teacher at St. Catherine Catholic School in Prince Albert started her vaccine preparation last night purchasing gas and some snacks.

“The opportunity to be vaccinated is very important to me for several reasons,” she told me. “I teach Grade 3 and K-6 music. I have siblings, nieces, nephews, parents and grandparents that I love deeply. I view being vaccinated as a way to help protect the people that I love and the children that I have been entrusted with. And this will put me one step closer to hugging my grandparents.”

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division (PACSD) made school optional today for students so education staff who became eligible today could get their vaccines.

Krysta and Simon Lambert, both teachers, rolled up their sleeves for the COVID vaccine. (Submitted photo/Krysta Lambert)

Krysta Lambert and her husband are both teachers within the PACSD. They arrived in line around 6:30 a.m. and said they were shocked to see how many people were already there.

“I think, considering the circumstances, the vaccine supply delays, the unchartered territory we seem to be thrown into, the rollout has gone as well as it could,” Lambert said. “We are just very grateful to get our shot and hope that other education staff and the rest of the population as a whole will get theirs too.”

There were already about 100 vehicles in the vaccine drive-thru line by 7:15 a.m. Friday morning in Prince Albert. (Submitted photo/Teena Monteleone)

I waited about four hours to get my vaccine this morning but it went by fast and was well worth the wait. The line started to move right at 9 a.m. and it took about two hours for the 100 or so vehicles ahead of me to go through. About ten enter the building at once. The nurses are friendly, fast and efficient. I can’t imagine having to ask the same long list of screening questions over and over again with each vehicle that rolls through, day in and day out, but they do it with a smile on their face and were so patient—especially with the most popular query, “which vaccine am I getting?”

At this site today, by the way, it was Pfizer. The nurse told me I could expect my second dose within four weeks to four months depending on availability. Right now, when you attend a vaccination clinic, you don’t know which vaccine you’ll receive until they’re about to jab it into your arm. The nurse who administered mine said when second doses are available, the rollout plan will make it clear which vaccine is available at which location.

Patients are required to wait for 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine before departing the clinic. (Submitted photo/Teena Monteleone)

After your shot, they make you wait outside the building for about 15 minutes in case you have a reaction. There is a paramedic on standby. I spent my time taking the obligatory ‘I got my vaccine’ selfie and finding the perfect filter to slim my face, bronze my cheeks and hide my white roots. #MayfairFilterismyfave

It was that simple.

After receiving her vaccine, Lambert said she’s most looking forward to spending time with family and friends and hugging those she hasn’t seen in a long time.

“I also look forward to seeing the smiles on my student’s faces when we no longer need to wear masks in school,” she said.

Ruten said she looks forward to singing with her students, visiting her grandparents without being separated by plastic barriers and taking trips to the lake without worrying about crowds.

As for me, I look forward to seeing my family in other provinces and giving my coworkers in the newsroom the opportunity to do the same. The best thing I can do to make a difference in this pandemic is to roll up my sleeve and receive a free vaccine that could potentially save their lives, my own and yours.

Vaccinations in Saskatchewan started about four months ago and four hours is all it took to make me feel more comfortable and hopeful than I have been in the last year.

Vaccine drive-thru waitline pro tip: Don’t drink a large beverage while you’re waiting. (Submitted photo/Teena Monteleone)

Oh, and if I can offer a small piece of advice to those preparing for the COVID vaccine drive-thru wait line in Prince Albert, it’s to skip that grande non-fat half-sweet caramel macchiato with whip. There are no washrooms on site.

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teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MonteleoneTeena