Masks no longer required. Social Distancing out the window. Many are not vaccinated and make it a political issue instead of a science and medical issue (different if it's a religious issue). These are just observations of what's been happening in West Texas over the past 19 months.  Covid is surging and the new variant is very easy to spread and catch. Thankfully it's not as serious symptom-wise as it's predecessors and Omicron acts pretty much like a cold in most cases. But here we are. And I have a question:

If the virus isn't scary; if the virus shouldn't be taken seriously; if the virus is really no big deal and we don't need to take the steps necessary to protect ourselves and each other when out in public--then WHY ON EARTH is it so hard to find home Covid tests in this area?!?! You can't have it both ways, folks. I managed to make it to 19 months into the pandemic with complete avoidance of any symptoms or threats. I got vaccinated because I have underlying health circumstances (asthma and heart condition) so I wanted to be fully armed in case the virus came knocking... My wife and I were scheduled to go have our boosters last Tuesday. But I had to cancel-because last Sunday after experiencing symptoms starting Friday night-I tested positive for Covid.

In order to get the test though, I had to sit for 4 and a half hours Sunday during the day at Signature Care off Wadley in Midland, because the day before I drove all over town for a few hours looking for a home covid test---and couldn't find one.

I had heard that DK locations had them. I stopped at 6 different ones and no one had anything.....

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I stopped at 3 different Walgreens--no dice there either.........

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United Supermarkets Pharmacy--SOLD OUT.

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I had heard from my wife's coworkers that HEB had some. I was apparently too late. All gone.

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Even CVS Pharmacy didn't have any. And they are able to do the PCR test if you have 1 to 3 days to wait for results.......

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So--for those of you out there who didn't get vaccinated, who think this is all no big deal and you don't need to follow any safety recommendations during all of this--PLEASE stop going to the stores and buying up all the home tests so that those of us who take this seriously can at least find ONE when we need it. And if you're like me and you need a test, and don't want to go sit at Signature Care for 4 hours--you can now get a 4-pack of tests sent directly to your home for free. Just click HERE and fill out the form. Everyone be safe out there--and let's be smart about it. We're not out of the woods yet!

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

KEEP READING: Learning From Mistakes During the Spanish Flu

 

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