Vaccine on Aisle 5

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Kent’s Korner… which as I write this, is located on the ninth floor of the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana.

I’m with the Tigers Men’s Basketball team for the NCAA Tournament.

Here I am trying hard to follow all the procedures. As I write this on March 16, I am in my room having just had my second COVID test since I arrived with the team from Nashville on Monday afternoon.

When we got here it was freezing rain and wind blowing 30 so I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave my hotel room anyway. It hasn’t gotten much warmer or better outside since then so it is a good time to be in quarantine.

Each team here is in one of four semi-connected hotels with each team having their own floors and rooms. So, in a good way, the normally crazed life of a media relations person dealing with TV networks and media before the tournament is a little less crazy- although setting up scheduling for your coach when you don’t know the schedule can be a little strange. But it has also given me a little time to think and when I do check the news it has been interesting to see what other states and cities like Tennessee and Indiana, especially Nashville and Indianapolis, are going through and doing with the virus.

Which makes me glad at the very end of February, I was able to get my first vaccination for COVID-19.

I was very happy when the Governor of Louisiana lowered the qualifications at that time to those of us 55-64 (yes, I’m close to the top end of that) with all the conditions I was happy that I was eligible. I’m not happy I have some of those conditions but well, that’s what life has thrown me over the years.

I qualified because of my blood pressure issues, some heart issues (had surgery in 2018 to correct atrial fibrillation) and I’m in that obese category. I admit it. The heart surgery did more than one good thing for me, it allowed people to discover my severe sleep apnea. Me and my trusty CPAP machine go everywhere together since then.

Oh yea, don’t forget all the allergies. Trying to get all my prescriptions for BP and allergies to Indy was a story itself.

I was able to get a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at the Wal-Mart in Baker… which to be honest I had no idea where it was other than in Baker. So off I went for a 9:40 appointment. Now it seems like a lot of people had appointments at the same time, but the line was very reasonable and a little line standing wasn’t going to bother me.

I filled out my folder of forms and the check-in lady double checked some things and sent me to the pharmacy window where another pharmacist put my information in the computer. She then sent me to the Garden department.

The Garden Department? I really did ask again just to make sure I heard correctly.

Yes, the Garden Department.

Vaccine Shot and I’ll take that plant and a bag of fertilizer to go.

Well, it turns out the Garden Department works pretty well I have to admit. They did it on their outdoor patio where all the big bags of fertilizer and some plants are located. They spaced out some chairs and little station where you got your shot and then waited 15 minutes to see if there are any reactions.

This is LSU’s 23rd apprearance in March Madness…and if you want to get technical, we can call this visit back to back!

I got the famous card that said what brand of shot and when to come back and I headed for my car with a smile of relief under my mask.

I have been as protective as I can on this journey, especially when you are involved with an athletic team. I don’t want the headline to be the communications guy got the team disqualified. Even at the bowling lanes, I’m the most masked up, careful person there is. And it will be that way here in Indianapolis. Six referees have already been sent home. They went to dinner when their rooms weren’t ready when they got here. One test positive, the others contacted traced. So, there you go.

I hope we can take care of business Saturday. It will cause scheduling problems with my second shot, but we’ll figure that as we go. This is quite a different NCAA Tournament we are here for.

From the ninth floor at the Marriott in Indianapolis, thanks for visiting Kent’s Korner. We’ll talk again in a few weeks.