Twenty Twenty was certainly an unsure year, words uttered by most news stations or just people around the globe in general. A pandemic like no other in the millenia sweeps across the world in the coming of a new century and kills what is now estimated to be two point seven million people. Frankly there was a great reason to be terrified last year, yet we as humans pushed through, taking the necessary precautions to avoid spread and keep one another safe. The numbers of this year are showing such, and as Summer approaches so grows hope for the future with a vaccine now being spread out to many older individuals who need it most in the early months of twenty twenty one. As the year continues however, a lucky few percentage of Americans are finding themselves the opportunity to immunize themselves with the leftovers. Even such chances have reached places such as Carbondale.  

At the SIU Medical Center, Nurses and Staff have been working diligently to assist those in desperate need of the Vaccine, but with each person that had gotten the vaccine first, comes an extra. Usuallythey’re shipped two vaccines per one person and when that individual receives their vaccine within a timely matter the workers there are left with extra, luckily it seems that most all of those in need of a vaccine for the first round took it quickly, leaving a lot of extras to the general public. Through a quick post in the newspaper, those who called in to the Center for Family Medicine were able to schedule an appointment to receive their own first dosage earlier than most. The process was simple, come in, fill out a form, walk down a hall to an open room, stand in line and receive the vaccine in your preferred arm. Each first vaccination of the Pfizer variant took place in early March, the next sticking to the same process and occurring in mid march through a two week waiting period after the starting one. Participants in this such as Rich Randle, one said person lucky enough to receive the extra vaccines said this about the process, “Easy, simple, and quick, I couldn’t really ask for a better way to get it, just glad I could in general.” When interviewed further and asked how one may be able to catch an opportunity like this he said, “Just keep an eye out in the news, if you see one do not hesitate to call and try to schedule an appointment with the place doing it. The worst thing to happen is they tell you they’re booked full, if they are then just move on from that one and repeat the process until you succeed.”  

In the near future it’s inevitable that other places will spring up with the opportunity to give out Covid vaccines, now it just becomes a matter of waiting and securing the chance as they follow in the footsteps of places like the SIU Medical Center. Soon enough America will be immunized as we push past Covid into whatever comes next, whether that be normality or something else.  

Both Images taken by Rikeesha Phelon of the Daily Republican