A few weeks ago, I experienced the COVID vaccine “test in patience!” My husband Randy, my almost-94-year old mom and I waited in a drive-through vaccine site. We had heard the S’Klallam tribe had made the  vaccine available in our local area for anyone 70 years and older, or 50 and older if you live in a multi-generational household as we do. Great! How convenient–or so we thought!

All lined up!

First Attempt: Thursday: January 14- We figured there would be a long line of cars  when they opened the vaccination site at 9:00 a.m. We reasoned if we got there around 11:00, we could beat the rush of people who probably arrived as early as 7:00. Little did we know! I’m sure the policeman posted at the intersection where the traffic lined up almost laughed when we stopped to ask him the status.

“Oh…they’ve been out of vaccine since they opened at 9.” Apparently, cars had started arriving as early as 5:00 a.m.. Since they only had 600 vaccines to administer, they sent most people away. “Try again on Saturday,” the officer suggested, “and be here early–no later than 8.” That sounded reasonable.

Mom looks comfy while she waits for her vaccine!

Second Attempt: Saturday, January 16-  Ok–we just needed to get up earlier. So we set our alarm for 4:45, thinking if we arrived by 5:15, we would surely get in.

I packed snacks and water bottles and grabbed some blankets as we walked out the door. It occurred to me it would be chilly sitting in the car before daylight. When we drove up, we couldn’t believe the endless line of cars already waiting–hundreds of cars! We later learned that drivers had arrived by 9:00 p.m. the night before and slept in their cars overnight! Oops–turns out our arrival at 5:15 wasn’t early enough. By 6:15, a traffic volunteer told us we hadn’t made the cut. “No more vaccine today,” he stated. “Try again on Tuesday.”

By this time, we wondered about our plan. Should we try to schedule an appointment somewhere else? Team Kalmbach/Fisher decided to try again on Tuesday. After all, these previous attempts had only been a rehearsal.

Third Attempt: Tuesday, January 19-  At dinner the night before, I told Randy and my mom, “I feel it in my bones. We’re going to make it tomorrow!” Of course, I had no idea if we would…it just sounded so positive. We discussed whether we should sleep in our car in line over night, but then we found out no one would be allowed in line until 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. That’s pretty close to overnight if you ask me!

We came up with new strategies. We packed sleeping bags, pillows, water, coffee, tea, snacks, and body warmers. In addition to packing a lot of patience, we determined to be prepared. We even packed two 5-gallon buckets with matching toilet seat lids (Mom had purchased these for her neighborhood emergency preparedness). No doubt about it–we were ready!

Our alarm sounded at 3:00 a.m. We dragged ourselves out of bed and out of the house into middle -of-the-night darkness. Whose idea is this? we asked each other as we climbed into Mom’s van–a much better choice than our smaller SUV. We could stretch out on the seats and even recline to get some sleep! When we arrived on Washington Street where the line started, the number of cars once again surprised us. We drove for at least a mile until we reached the end of the queue. “This is impossible,” Randy sighed. “I guess we should’ve been here at 3.”

The Waiting Paid Off!  It occurred to us that even if we happened to be among the 600 people to get the vaccine, a minimum 5- hour wait loomed before they started giving vaccines. Ugh! A volunteer walked by our car sometime later and told us it looked iffy. They would let us know when they made the official count. As volunteers guided traffic, we inched forward–finally getting beyond the “Black Bear Diner,” the marker for cars that might get in. Finally another volunteer walked by and gave us a thumbs up. We had made it!  After a total wait time of eight hours, we pulled up to the vaccine tent (the Big Top) and got our shots. Wow–what an adventure!

No doubt about it, we waited a long time But in addition to getting our COVID vaccines, we saw firsthand how a community can work together. The S’Klallam Tribe had received more vaccine than they needed, so they offered their extra supply to this community. More than 60 volunteers spent many hours in a seamless process of vaccinating more than 600 people each day. Each person, whether a traffic volunteer or medical personnel kept us going with their cheerful, upbeat presence. People sat patiently in their cars. No tempers flared. And at a time when our country has experienced so much strife and divisiveness, witnessing this collective effort was more than heart-warming!

P.S. We received our 2nd dose of the vaccine yesterday. The same cheerful volunteers guided us through the process (only 3 hours instead of 8!) Thank you to all who made this happen for more than 1,400 people yesterday. You are heroes! 

One down, one to go!