I'm sharing this publicly because it is the closest thing out there to an answer on when I will personally be eligible to get a Covid vaccine.
Those of you who are currently whining about how people are supposedly refusing to get vaccinated need to know that in large parts of the country, many of us cannot currently obtain a vaccine irrespective of wanting to do so. Supplies are artificially constricted, eligibility is determined by a bureaucratic process that privileges workers in certain politically connected professions, and the transaction costs of signing up are high. As a result, we have no definite answer on when we will become eligible and no sign of it being any time soon.
On the other hand, I did learn today that I could change my eligibility and obtain a vaccine about a month from now if I take up smoking.
And to be even more blunt, the rules in Virginia (and Massachusetts, which is my other option and is similarly restrictive) are why I have such little patience for people who are blaming the persistence of the pandemic on "Trump supporters refusing to get vaccinated" or anti-vaxxer disinformation.
None of those things are currently impeding me or the majority of the working age populations in my two eligible states from getting a vaccine.
But the state governments of both are.
I don't doubt that there's some vaccine hesitancy here, because there's some everywhere. But the chatter on the Nextdoor app is very much about how hard it is to get an appointment, how long the lines are--and how the national media is blaming low compliance on hesitancy, of all things.
Also the fact that these registration websites are impossible to navigate for many elderly people.
"Want a vaccine? Just fill out 17 pages of online forms, and print a QR code to bring with you to your allotted time slot."
And Grandma's response to that is, predictably, "What's a QR code?"
If you live in a state where that isn't the case, congratulations. Your government is slightly less stupid than mine. But spare me the sanctimony of suggesting that you deserve a commendation for getting something that I cannot legally obtain at the moment through no fault of my own.
I'll put it this way: if (1) things haven't changed in a few months, and (2) my inability to get a vaccine is looking like it's going to become an impediment to travel, I will show up at the Walgreens with a lighted cigarette hanging out of the hole I cut for it in my facemask.