I went over to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center to get my first Pfizer vaccine shot. That took only a half hour to get done. I went over to Valley Fair Mall to have lunch at Shake Shack. I showed the host my brand-new vaccination card and got a free order of French fries. Twenty-four hours later, I got a text from the California Vax For The Win about my incentive card I’ll get soon. After I get my second Pfizer vaccine shot, I’ll get a $50 USD gift card from the state. I could also win $50,000 USD or $1.5 million USD in the state drawings. When I made my vaccine appointment last week, I had no idea that doing my civic duty to society could be so rewarding.
SANTA CLARA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER
The process of getting your vaccination shot at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA, is fast paced. When you arrive at Building Q, you get a cardboard with forms stapled to the front and a pen.
A nurse will take your temperature at the door and ask if you have any COVID symptoms. You sit down, fill out the forms, and raise your hand. A nurse will direct you to take the elevator to the basement. Follow the signs in the hallway until you stand in a line for screening.
A nurse will call you forward to the next available station, check your ID, and enter your forms into a laptop. You will get a sticker that you passed screening for your shoulder. Another sticker with your personal info to place on your chest. A sheet of stickers with your personal info gets attached to your cardboard.
You will stand in another line for the vaccination shot. A nurse will call you to the next available station. You hand over your cardboard, have a seat, and roll up your shirt sleeve.
All three vaccines are available: Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
- Moderna and Pfizer are two-dose vaccines.
- Johnson & Johnson is a one-dose vaccine.
If you don’t pick one, the default vaccine is Pfizer.
After you get your shot, your cardboard will no longer have the forms and the sheet of stickers. If you need a second dose of vaccine, you will have an appointment card for a date 21 days later. Your brand-new vaccination card will be underneath the appointment card.
You step outside into a small courtyard to take a seat in the sun or under a tent.
- If you got a two-dose vaccine, you wait 15 minutes.
- If you got the one-dose vaccine, you wait 30 minutes.
Side effects immediately after injection are rare. If you experience any difficulty, alert a nearby nurse. When your time is up, you can leave by taking the nearby stairs to the front of the Q building.
SHAKE SHACK
Shake Shack is offering free French fries for showing a vaccination card through Saturday, June 12, 2021. I went to the Shake Shack at Valley Fair Mall, showed my vaccination card to the host, and he entered my order. If I had done my order at the kiosk, he would have readjusted the order to apply the discount and refund the difference. You will have to order a hamburger or chicken sandwich to get the free French fries.
CALIFORNIA VAX FOR THE WIN
If you get vaccinated on or after Tuesday, May 27, 2021, aged 12 or older, and live in California, you could win the following cash prizes:
- A $50 USD gift card (while supplies last)
- Drawing for a $50,000 USD cash prize (30 winners)
- Drawing for a $1.5 million USD cash prize (10 winners)
Available to the first two million people who get vaccinated.
- The $50,000 USD drawing will be on the following Fridays, June 4 and June 11.
- The $1.5-million USD drawing will be on Tuesday, June 15.
You need to complete all your vaccination shots before you can receive any cash reward.
Will I stop wearing a mask after I’m vaccinated? Oh, hell no. I went for a whole year without allergies because I wore a mask. That alone was a huge benefit.
Keep in mind that the vaccine doesn’t prevent you from getting or spreading COVID-19. The vaccines only reduce the severability of the disease if you do get sick. A breakout variant could ignore the vaccines altogether and we could all be under lockdown again. The only effective protection is to continue to wear a mask.