It’s this simple: If you want to get vaccinated today, head to one of DeKalb County’s box (larger) pharmaceutical stores; if you want to wait, head to a smaller family-owned business. The key word for the availability of all current vaccines is FAVORTISM. And, if you choose not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, more power to you! You’re not ruling your life – Walmart is!
I venture to guess that you didn’t know that the smaller DeKalb County pharmacies, such as Webb’s Pharmacy and Caldwell’s Drugs, etc. and the local health department have to wait another month (end of October) to receive the latest COVID-19 vaccination, whereas the larger retail marketing pharmacies, such as Walgreens and Walmart, already have the vaccines, ready for public inoculations to begin. Some of these entities have already begun their distributions to the general public. Each retail establishment offers differing availability.
Not being medically trained, I also wasn’t privy to this earlier information nor was most everyone else in DeKalb County, albeit in the medical profession. Our local longtime medical physician, Dr. Hugh Don Cripps, recently clarified the above statements. “There are three huge distributors of the vaccine – McKesson, Amerisource Bergin, and Cardinal Health. They make lists of those pharmacies who are prioritized to receive the vaccine. The ‘Big Three’ are the largest distributors in the world.’” Be it further resolved, the above three companies are the dominant distributors of the wholesale and genetic spaces, and these companies are increasingly distributing special therapies.” Dr. Cripps further expressed that these three distributors are the ones who decide who is next in line to receive the vaccines. He cautioned me to remember, “All the vaccines are not made at the same time. They are made sparingly.” Currently, there is no immediate running total of the number of total vaccines distributed and given throughout our county.
Relative to the mixed distributions, Dr. Cripps reiterated, “The earliest vaccines go to the large box stores, such as Walgreens and Walmart.” The smaller family-owned pharmacies in DeKalb County seem to be sitting low on the totem pole. They have to wait on receiving their vaccines until the larger box stores receive theirs. Could this be a political ploy? As Dr. Cripps concluded, “Vaccine distributions are correlated from top to bottom. The big businesses are the first recipients while the smaller businesses are second.” And, then we have a conglomerate of mass confusion!
As a repetitive addendum, consumers can find the new COVID-19 vaccine at any box (larger) stores throughout middle Tennessee – Walmart, Walgreens, Costco, CVS, Kroger’s, etc. Simply stop by for a shot!!! The national Walgreen’s corporate office just released the following statement on their website, which is printed verbatim on the Smithville, TN. Walgreens website: “An updated COVID vaccine is now available that targets the current variants of COVID-19. Appointments available for individuals 12 and above. As additional inventory arrives to our stores, appointments will be added. Schedule now. (By appointment only). For patients under age 12, the vaccine is not available yet. Call 1-800-925-4733 or your local Walgreen’s pharmacy.” According to local Walgreens employee Amanda, shots are being offered while supplies are currently limited. Also, there is no running cumulative total of the numbers of vaccines distributed or administered.
Contrarily, the DeKalb County Health Department has “vaccines in stock.” Call for an appointment: 615-597-7599 and the address is: 254 Tiger Drive in Smithville, Tennessee. “COVID-19 vaccinations are available in all 95 Tennessee counties. To locate an updated vaccination facility, visit www.vaccine.gov/search.com.
At the local Walmart Supercenter, citizens are encouraged to “walk-in,” at your convenience, to be vaccinated. “Book up to three people under one appointment,” they wrote. It concludes, “Online (computer) scheduling is now available for the updated 2023—2024 COVID-19 vaccine. Persons may locate this submitted information by going to: www.walmart.com. Dr. Justin Hooper, registered pharmacist at Webb’s Pharmacy and Soda Fountain, downtown Smithville, said that regarding the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine, “Most insurance companies will pay for the vaccine, including Medicare. Most will be at no cost to the subscribers.” This previous statement by Dr. Hooper answers the question now penetrating the local population, which is circulating that persons now have to pay for their own vaccinations. The state does not pay for this last inoculation – your insurance carrier probably does. The asinine question now has a true answer. The cost of one local COVID-19 vaccine is approximately $140.00 each. Lots cheaper than hospitalizations and death. “The CDC says there’s a preference for the mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna) COVID-19 vaccinations over the Novavax (Walmart) or (Janssen) Johnson and Johnson vaccines. And on another note, did you know that COVID-19 is the abbreviation for “coronavirus disease 2019.” The year 2019 represents the year that COVID first began globally.
The following businesses do, or do not, have the COVID-19 vaccine ready for the public as of Sunday, October 1, 2023:
· Webb’s Pharmacy - Available end of October or first of November. Family-owned.
· Caldwell’s Pharmacy – Available end of October or first of November. Family-owned.
· Johnny’s Drugs – Not available for comment. Family-owned.
· Walmart – Available now. Box store.
· Walgreens – Available now. Box store.
· DeKalb County Health Department – Differing availability given. Call for hours and information; 615-597-7599.
The latest DeKalb County, TN COVID-19 Snapshot published on Sunday, October 1, 2023 reveals: The number of cases, 8,110; Hospitalizations, 154; and Deaths, 117. To date, DeKalb County has 39,580.3 cases per 100,000 residents. Over the last seven days, DeKalb County had a daily case rate of 12.5 cases per 100,000 residents per day. Furthermore, “The world counts 2.2 billion people unvaccinated against COVID-19 today,” commented www.pandemic-ic.com. “A staggering 89% live in the developing world and 69% in the poorer half of the world (Africa and South Asia).” Another comparative statement reveals “These unvaccinated persons live in an unequal yet poorest countries throughout the world. Let it be said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “far from over,” said pandemic-ic. At least 50% of the population has been fully vaccinated in all 50 United States.
The ten states with the BEST COVID-19 vaccination rates are:
· Rhode Island
· Vermont
· Massachusetts
· Maine
· Connecticut
· Hawaii
· New York
· Maryland
· New Jersey
· Virginia
As seen above, the NORTH EASTERN states have the best vaccination rates in the world.
The ten states with the WORST COVID-10 vaccination rates are:
· Wyoming
· Alabama
· Mississippi
· Louisiana
· Tennessee
· Idaho
· Arkansas
· Georgia
· Indiana
· North Carolina
As seen above, the SOUTH has the worst vaccination rates in the world.
The reasons person’s refuse to be vaccinated:
· About half reported that they were concerned about possible side effects of the vaccine.
· About 42% reported that they “don’t trust the COVID-19 vaccine.”
· Less than 10% reported that they had not received the vaccine because their doctor had not recommended it.
· About 2% reported not getting the vaccine because of the difficulty obtaining it. (See first paragraph above).
“Unvaccinated adults are younger and less educated,” wrote the www.census.gov recently. The reasons for being unvaccinated are listed below:
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· They were younger, on average, than those who had been vaccinated. Roughly 75% of the unvaccinated were under age 50. Among the vaccinated, less than half were under age 50. This is untrue in DeKalb County. TN. as many older adults, some in their 80’s and 90’s are not being vaccinated again. They seem frustrated with the growing number of vaccinations required for COVID-19 prevention.
· They had lower levels of education, on average, than those who were vaccinated. Survey respondents who had received at least one dose were twice as likely as the unvaccinated to have a college degree or higher. (This has been my philosophy since 2021.
· They were much less likely than vaccinated adults to be married. (46% - 56%).
The symptoms of the new COVID-19 subvariant EG.5 currently makes up the majority of cases in the United States, according to the CDC. The symptoms are targeted to all upper-respiratory complaints, such as sore throat, cough, congestion, and runny nose. After a relatively quiet summer, COVID-19 appears to be strengthening again in the U.S. with the latest subvariant EG.5 (Eris) causing an increase in cases, hospitalizations, and death across the country. And, there is “a sheer inequality across income groups. Please note that the poorer half of the world claims most of the unvaccinated citizens.
Recently, it was printed that some doctors want the vaccines delivered and administered faster. “What are they waiting for? They need to step up their game now, and get the shot out as soon as possible to the public,” said Dr. Hugh Cassiere, director of critical care services at South Shores University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York. Cumulatively, these same sentiments are applicable throughout the hallways in DeKalb County, Tennessee.
And lest we forget the annual influenza vaccine, commonly known as the “flu shot.” This vaccination is important for persons at risk of severe illness from this intrusive hardship. Flu shots are very safe. “Over the past 50 years, several hundred million people in the U.S. have successfully received the flu shot,” wrote Medical News Today. I vividly remember more than 20 years ago having a severe case of the flu. I felt like dying and thought that I was. I promised GOD that if he would let me live through this flu, I would forever get a flu shot. And today, we’ve kept our promises successfully.
So today, I’ve had all my state-ordered elementary school vaccinations; twenty flu shots; two pneumonia shots; one shingles shot; and five COVID-19 shots. Or to paraphrase, I’ve had every preventative vaccine in existence. And, I wasn’t sick and I didn’t die. God and medicine are taking care of me. Can you say the same?
