Covid insanity

[Ken Gargett]

I am really trying to get the injections.

Try and get the shot at the local clinic. All booked in. Then I get a call that they are cancelling me because I had mentioned I had clots many years ago from flying. Now, I have to go to the PA Hospital to get the Pfizer shot.

I ring up the PA.

First, I need to get a referral from my GP. I arrange that. Sister has to go and collect it, as I am currently living in NSW. I speak the GP’s office. Told that once I have my referral, I can just turn up. They assured me that the PA Hospital had insisted this was correct.

I ring the PA Hospital to check this. Who told you that? You told my GP, I tell them. No, you need to make an appointment.

So, I call in to make an appointment. As you can imagine, no chance that the one person would deal with both things.

They redirect me to some pop-up clinic at Rocklea. This does not sound inspiring. I make the appointment. They insist that they need the referral first. I tell them I am not driving four hours to drop it off. They agree I can bring it on the day but they are not happy. We make an appointment. It was to be tomorrow morning.

Just had a call from Rocklea. Seems that they have booked 500 extra people for tomorrow by mistake. How you manage to do that, who knows? I point out that I have driven up from nsw and made plans to have this tomorrow. So I am told to attend but the wait could be long. And bring a hat and water as I will be standing in the sun.

I think about that. I need to be back in nsw early arvo latest, so decide to cancel. You think that they have a number you can ring to cancel? A number you can ring to speak to anyone? I end up on the Qld Govt main switch. Anything involving that dribbling moron running the State is always going to be a disaster. If breathing was not involuntary, no one would have ever heard of her. Dumber than soup.

Eventually I am on some Covid line, which gives me the history of vaccinations and then tells me, and I am not making this up, that we all have to remember that some bridges are built of stone and some of wood. What on earth does that have to do with my covid injection? Morons.

I give up.

I go back to the PA Hospital to see if they can get me a number or take a message or whatever. She tells me not to worry. Just don’t turn up. Okay. Nice to see the level of responsibility that drips from every being involved in Qld Health.

Then I ask if I can make an appointment with them. Do that for two weeks time.

I’ll bring the referral then, I say.

Why?

Well, won’t you want it?

No. if you have bothered to make an appointment then that will do. We don’t have time to be checking referrals.

The mind boggles.

Well why did you guys insist on me getting the referral?

No idea.

Humanity has no chance.

 

Meanwhile, because two people sneezed in Sydney last week, the borders are slamming shut again. I need to get a visa to get back in to Qld, which I will have to do on Tuesday early morning, to get to the airport. But I can’t do it now. they will not let you apply outside of three days before the day of entry. So I will be in nsw unable to get the visa. Going to be fun at the border. Boiled cabbage has a higher IQ than our premier.

But I also need one to get into SA. So if I get out of Qld but the SA one does not work then I am the next Tom Hanks in that Airport movie about the bloke stuck for years. Because I will not have had time to get my next one to get back into Qld. You could not make this nonsense up.

I am coming to the conclusion that it would be a lot easier just to get the virus.

 

[JohnS]

Sorry to hear all this dear friend! All the best for the next few days in NSW! 

[WarriorPrincess]

love it just love it LOL 

[Islandboy]

Wow. Best Kenfessions ever if you could work a cigar and a drink into the saga. Not even gonna mention how easy it was for me, a nobody in the priority scheme, to get my Pfizer shots a few months ago on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Nope, not even gonna mention it. 

[Odessa]

Sorry to hear Ken. Wishing you all the best. 

[El Presidente]

I haven't laughed so hard in ages 🤣

[NSXCIGAR]

I just walked in to the pharmacy for some condoms and they had an extra one on hand. 

[La_Tigre]

Sticks and stones…errrr….stones and sticks….?

[Jimmy_jack]

Are yall still dealing with sanitary theater? The wiping down of all surfaces, wearing of gloves and small plastic dividers that offer no protection? Its hilarious. 

[Shrimpchips]

2 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I just walked in to the pharmacy for some condoms and they had an extra one on hand. 

I don’t think condoms protect against this virus…unless you stretch it over your head 😂

[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, Shrimpchips said:

I don’t think condoms protect against this virus…unless you stretch it over your head 😂

[Chibearsv]

Early on in the vaccinating cycle here the difficulties getting scheduled were very similar.  Now the vaccine centers are all open for walk-in business to anyone 12 and up. 

Also, our fat governor with the most stupid grin you've ever seen has announced that if you go to get your vaccine now, you will receive a lottery ticket for a chance to win a piece of $10 million.  This is already after he tried giving state paid vouchers for drinks at your local bar and free tickets to our state's biggest amusement park.  And, our state is BROKE.  Talk about not able to make this stuff up. 

Power shot? Pritzker injects COVID-19 vaccine lottery talk into mix as daily inoculation rate plummets

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has already offered up free Six Flags tickets and shooting clays to try to get more shots into arms, On Wednesday, he signed a law that allows bars to dole out a free drink as an incentive.  Now he said state lawmakers “paved the way” for a potential lottery when they approved his $42 billion budget this week.

By Mitchell Armentrout@mitchtrout  Updated Jun 2, 2021, 9:04pm CDT

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker smiles at a May 10 Chicago news conference. The state could soon announced a lottery program as an incentive for people to get their COVID-19 vaccinations, Pritzker said Wednesday.

 

[mprach024]

15 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I just walked in to the pharmacy for some condoms and they had an extra one on hand. 

Condoms?  What are those

[Rhinoww]

Incredible hassle here to get a jab. Then whammo supply outstripped demand. My wife is a CPA and pulled together an estimate early on that has us getting our jab in august. We ended up getting it, when it was our turn, in early April. Have faith. Things will open up for you soon. Until then, keep on w the effort. 

[Ginseng]

Good gravy. I hope the situation gets rational soon.

As badly as we handled it early on here in the US, the situation has improved greatly with the onset of widespread vaccination. You can walk into a Walmart for groceries and a Covid shot now.

[PigFish]

Covid vax cards... get'em while they're hot. Covid cards here... Covid card sir?

Ink and paper for a 100... Covid cards here, get your covid card!!!

 

 

Sorry Ken... don't know whether to laugh or cry...! 

Need to see NYC? De... Dumbass will give you a free French fry with your covid shot. Can't give them away here now, they need to offer bribes!

[Duxnutz]

It’s all getting F-ing rediculous. Haven’t seen my parents and sister in 18+ months and if I am to travel there’s no guarantee I can leave.

 

Australia is looking like 1940s Eastern Germany. 

[Chibearsv]

Where should someone get vaccinated?  Who's offering the best deals.  Might win a barbecue grill in Dallas.  

 

[Fuzz]

14 hours ago, mprach024 said:

Condoms?  What are those

A cheese substitute.

[Nino]

1 hour ago, Fuzz said:

A cheese substitute.

Let me fix that for you : A cheese substitute in Cuba ... 🙂

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/08/30/the-many-uses-of-condoms-in-cuba

https://fromthaground.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/myths-and-realities-of-cuban-gastronomy-condom-pizzas/

Myths and realities of Cuban gastronomy: condom pizzas

8 julio, 2015 / lettersfromanisland

If you are a Cuban you already know what I am talking about. If you are a foreigner you need a little background.

Cuba 1990’s.

The country was separated from its main commercial partner USSR. The reserves where empty and there was almost nothing to eat in the country. At that time people where planting bananas, suit potatoes and casaba in their gardens, also breeding pigs and hens in their houses, even in very private places as terraces and bathrooms. It was a desperate time that proved the inventive of Cubans.

At that time some myths were born like banana skin and quilt steaks, no one would buy meat in the streets because it could be vulture or cat meat. Actually specialists say that the cats population decreased exponentially in this period. This is the time when the myth of condom pizzas was borne.

[Ken Gargett]

On 6/18/2021 at 4:07 PM, Ken Gargett said:

I am really trying to get the injections.

I am coming to the conclusion that it would be a lot easier just to get the virus.

 

it never ends.

now that we have border restrictions, i think that perhaps, rather than trying to get back into Qld for the shot next weekend, i should simply try for the tweed hospital up the road. 

many years ago, i tried for a meningitis booster injection at the nairobi hospital. after two hours of delays, incompetency, watching idiots try and work out which end of the needle to use, i told them that none of them was getting near me with anything sharper than a blunt spoon and that the world would be better off if they injected the entire staff with cyanide. and i walked out. went up the road to a private doc and had it done in three minutes. it was terrifying what a bunch of bumbling no hopers ran that hospital. i could not imagine anything worse. 

until today. come on down, the tweed hospital. how can a country stuff up something so relatively simple as sticking a needle in an arm? perhaps we should go down to the cross and grab a few junkies and put them in charge because they would be far better at it than our morons. 

i ring. needless to say, dumped into a machine and have to press the options. every time i press an option, and i made sure that they were the correct, relevant options, i ended up further from the tweed. after about six 'press 1, 2, 3 or whatever' i am listening to some moron in canberra. i try again. i try a third time. i just try to talk to the tweed hospital but they were not having that. "if you are calling about covid, hang up and call....' and yes, back to the roundabout. after all, the last thing a hospital wants is those pesky humans bothering them with health issues.

i eventually click the 'make an appointment and we'll ring you back' button on their website. note that it says that they will ring back, not actually give you an appointment. and when you do that, they ring back in a few days. lord knows why it takes so long. not like anyone there is practicing medicine. 

honestly, shame, tweed hospital, shame. i'd rather get the jab in nairobi. 

[CigarmanTim]

You can’t make that shit up

[Meesterjojo]

On 6/18/2021 at 9:01 PM, Ginseng said:

Good gravy. I hope the situation gets rational soon.

As badly as we handled it early on here in the US, the situation has improved greatly with the onset of widespread vaccination. You can walk into a Walmart for groceries and a Covid shot now.

Verily. Covid made me go up a couple of tax brackets. Thanks everyone. 

And even out here in deep west texas we can walk into any pharmacy with no appointment and get a jab and be out in 15 minutes. No cost. 

[Fuzz]

It is a monumental stuff up, Ken, on both the Federal and State level. And people have been so lackadaisical or scared about getting the vaccine, especially after the Govt kept changing the info regarding the AZ vaccine. Now everyone is scrambling for their 1st shot.

[Chibearsv]

5 hours ago, Fuzz said:

It is a monumental stuff up, Ken, on both the Federal and State level. And people have been so lackadaisical or scared about getting the vaccine, especially after the Govt kept changing the info regarding the AZ vaccine. Now everyone is scrambling for their 1st shot.

Around here that scrambling is what jammed everything up.  In March we stared at our phones waiting for appointment availability windows to open and each time they did, the appointments went faster than SW on 24:24.  When we got one, we had to stand in line at mass vaccination centers run by the military.  Now only 3 months later, anyone can schedule an appointment to have the vaccine given in your own home.

Hopefully things change quickly for you all as well.