Lately, life has felt too repetitive to be worth writing about. Work has been the same day after day, with nothing especially new to say. I had planned for this update to be about my little turtle, but a text message that arrived at noon changed that, so I figured I should write this down while the details are still fresh.
Sometime back in May, I vaguely remember booking a vaccine appointment through the public account of the city’s Third People’s Hospital. At the time, there were already thousands of people ahead in line, and since I wasn’t especially eager to get vaccinated, I dropped the idea and stopped paying attention to it.
Then today at noon, I received a message telling me my turn had finally come up. I was asked to bring my ID card to the hospital’s east campus between 4:30 and 5:00 in the afternoon for the shot.
So I let my boss know I needed to leave early, headed home, took a quick shower, and got to the hospital entrance around 4:20. Outside, under the temporary tents, there was already a sea of people waiting. I even went to ask one of the staff whether those who had received a text notification could skip ahead, but the answer was no: everyone lining up in the tent had received the same message. Looking at that crowd, I honestly wondered how long this was going to take. For a moment I really did feel like turning around and leaving. But since I was already there, I decided I might as well stay and see it through.
There were seven or eight lines, and among the crowd were plenty of people in their fifties and sixties, some adults with children, and even a few foreigners. Seeing older people waiting outside in that heat was a bit rough. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before staff started walking around with loudspeakers, repeatedly announcing that seniors and people with children could go in directly without queueing outside. Everyone seemed to appreciate that arrangement, and honestly, it was the reasonable way to do it.
The lines moved in batches. Each time, ten people from a row were allowed into the corridor. Staff would ask whether you were there for your first dose or second. People getting the first dose had to pick up a form and fill in some personal information before queueing again; those getting a second dose didn’t need to do that. Along the corridor there were rows of small red stools for anyone who needed to sit, which was a thoughtful touch.
Most people followed the instructions and queued in an orderly way, though there was one middle-aged man who kept trying to cut ahead. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but eventually a staff member noticed and stopped him, telling him clearly that he needed to wait behind the person he had originally been standing after and enter only when it was his turn. He seemed to realize he was in the wrong and stayed put after that.
After the corridor came the hall, where entry was also controlled in limited batches. Before going in, everyone had to scan their Guangdong health code. Inside, there were again rows of red stools arranged for waiting, and there was air conditioning too. Compared with the heat outside, it felt much better.
There were five rows indoors, and those moved forward in turn as well. At the next point there was still one more line to wait in, again with stools available so people could sit while waiting. Several lines advanced in rotation before we finally reached the vaccination area itself. There, personal information was entered, a slip was issued, and then it was on to the vaccination room.
There were five or six inoculation rooms, each staffed by two workers: one checked the paperwork, and the other gave the shot.
Through the whole process, people were generally cooperative and followed the staff’s directions. The medical workers had it especially hard—they had reportedly started around 2:30 in the afternoon and were still going until everyone in line had been vaccinated. They really deserved the thanks.
From start to finish, the whole thing took about two and a half hours. Roughly an hour and a half was spent queueing outside under the tent, another forty-five minutes or so in the corridor and indoor waiting areas, and the actual injection itself took only a few seconds. Afterward, I was told to stay for thirty minutes for observation, though in reality I waited about fifteen. Since nothing unusual happened, I left.
So now I can say I’ve had the jab too. The virus is still mutating, and who knows exactly how much protection any vaccine will offer, but getting vaccinated still seems better than not getting vaccinated at all.
One thing did leave me puzzled, though. At the hospital entrance, the vaccine listed was Shenzhen Kangtai. But when I checked my Guangdong health code a few days later, it showed Sinovac instead. So which one did I actually get?