It was a bright day on March 13 and after hours of long volunteer work, junior Lilah Shorey rushed to get her first vaccine.

Aiding one of the vaccinators at the pop-up clinic in the Jesuit High School parking lot, Shorey spent over four hours helping vaccinate over 30 people.

“The parking lot was filled with cars waiting to get their vaccine,” she said.

“I would usually just file paperwork, get the bandages ready and help the vaccinator with whatever she needed help with.”

Shorey said the clinic usually had around 1,000 people a day with only around nine to 10 volunteers.

At the end of her shift that day, Shorey was asked if she wanted to get vaccinated because the pop-up had so many leftovers.

“It was a rush trying to get my parents here so they could do my paperwork before they closed,” she said.

“But then I signed some waivers, got the Pfizer shot, waited for 15 minutes to see if I had an allergic reaction, and then booked my next appointment.”

Shorey said that she thinks the vaccination is reliable, but won’t feel completely safe until she builds up immunity after getting her second shot.

To manage the high demand for vaccines, California has established a tier system, splitting people into different groups. People eligible under a tier can then book and receive the vaccine at distribution sites such as the one Shorey volunteers at.

Tier one includes frontline healthcare workers, specialty clinics, assisted living workers and adults over the age of 65.

Tier two now includes educational, agricultural, restaurant, and transportation workers.

Through this system, 526,488 Sacramento residents have gotten vaccinated, according to The Sacramento Bee.

Additionally, all people over the age of 16 starting on April 15 will be eligible to receive a vaccine.

But the struggle to find a vaccination has been a challenge for most Country Day students.

For senior Allie Boegetich, getting the vaccine came with hours of preparation. 

Bogetich was able to get her first vaccine on March 18 at Sutter Health Urgent Care and is expected to get her second dose of the Pfizer’s on April 2. 

Bogetich said afterward she had slight tightness in her arm, but nothing too severe.

The worst part for Bogetich was trying to fill out the paperwork.

“My mom sat on her iPad for about an hour trying to get me an appointment,” she said. “She had to constantly refresh the tab until someone canceled. It just shows how many people are rushing to get their vaccine.”

Bogetich said once she arrived, she sat in a waiting room with around 15 people.

From there, they were taken in groups of three to an examination room and given the shot, and waited 15 minutes afterward to see if there were any complications. 

Bogetich said she was never worried about her health too much but got it just to make her parents feel safer.

“There’s no harm in my eyes of getting the vaccine,” she said. “I think it’s worth it and reliable. I mean, I didn’t pay with my money, and it only took 30 minutes, so it was really a quick and easy process.”

“There’s no harm in my eyes of getting the vaccine. I think it’s worth it and reliable.”
– Allie Bogetich

Bogetich was also urged by her restaurant employer to get the shot to ensure she can interact with customers without risking the health of her customers or herself. 

Junior Angela McCurdy got her first Pfizer vaccine at a local urgent care in San Francisco on March 20, and is getting her next one on April 6.

She experienced slight flu-like symptoms for about three days afterward.

“I’m usually pretty tired, but I ended up sleeping for 18 hours each day. I also had a slight headache and rise in temperature, but it was nothing out of the ordinary,” she said.

McCurdy said she was put into a waiting room with about 30 people.

“The whole process took around 55 minutes,” she said. “We waited in the room for about 30 minutes. The shot only took five minutes, and I had to wait 20 minutes to see if I had an allergic reaction.”

McCurdy said it took her dad around 35 minutes to book her an appointment but says she feels it was worth it.

“The whole process wasn’t that long, and I’m a strong believer in vaccines so I’m glad we signed up,” she said.

— By Jacob Chand