Name: What's it like to get your COVID-19 shot at Ford Field? Freep reporter tells his story
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What's it like to get your COVID-19 shot at Ford Field? Freep reporter tells his story

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Detroit Free Press I got my shot on Tuesday.Actually, it was the first of two. The second one is set for April 13, which is three weeks after my first.I was part of a soft opening for the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Ford Field in Detroit before the full show begins on Wednesday.You want to know whether it was easy, whether it was painful, did I have to wait long, did I feel any side effects, which shot was it, and of course, whether you should get it.More:More:I’ll try to answer those questions as best I can, though maybe not in that exact order, and maybe, for the last one, not directly.Right now, it’s a few hours after I walked out of Ford Field, and I feel fine. That’s not to say I won’t feel anything later on this week or after my second shot, but right now, I’m good.I now have a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, listing my name, birth date, vaccine dose (I got the Pfizer-BioNTech shot) and reminder date of my second dose. A brown bandage marks the spot on my upper left arm where the needle went in. I may keep it there for a while to show my son later.The process was easy. I registered online, answered some fairly basic questions, and got a Meijer Pharmacy text Thursday morning, prompting me to pick an appointment time, which I did. A few reminders followed and on Tuesday morning my time came.I wasn’t particularly nervous. I’ve had plenty of other shots, although I know this is a bit different. The type of shot I received that make us sick. Early on in the pandemic as vaccines were first being talked about, I’d considered whether I should wait a bit, maybe see how it goes for some others.I’ve heard from friends I know who want to wait. I also know people, including my parents, who are either done with their vaccinations, are awaiting their second shot or have their first shots scheduled. All I can tell you is I decided fairly early that I would not wait, that as soon as I became eligible I would get my shot, and that’s what I did.Was it quick? Yes. I arrived at the Gem Theatre&nbsp;parking garage on Brush Street just before 10 a.m. (parking was free) and found a spot on level 4. I was outside, walking across the street to Ford Field in a matter of minutes and directed inside, where a nice woman at the door asked me to roll up my jacket sleeve and took my temperature with a scan of my arm. She also asked whether I’d had any of a number of symptoms of illness in the last 14 days, and sent me along when I said I had not.More:More:More:Because I’d already filled in my questionnaire online, I was pointed toward a table where a man in a military uniform asked me for my birth date, name and in which arm I’d like my shot, before sending me along to another person directing traffic. Moments later, I was shown to a black-curtained booth No. 3, one of numerous numbered booths in that area.I sat in a chair, sporting a face mask with Superman symbols on it that my mother, who lives several states away, had made for me, as a uniformed woman asked another question or two and slid the needle in. I jotted down “nice and easy” in a notebook I was carrying, but at this moment I can’t recall whether those were her words or mine.Either way, that’s an apt description.I felt the slight poke of a needle and a brief soreness afterward, but that was about it.&nbsp;Not really. The sensation seemed to go away as I walked to my next stop, the observation area, where chairs were arranged in socially distant locations. The woman who gave me my shot had marked “1021” on a sticker and told me to wear it on my jacket.That would be 15 minutes after my shot, the amount of time I’d need to wait to make sure I didn’t have an adverse reaction. Once those minutes passed, I made a brief bathroom stop and was headed to the door. A woman at another table cheered me as I walked toward her and told me to take a few masks, “put them in your car.”I said it was easy, and it was. Plenty of people were on hand to answer questions or direct me. Other people were there for their shots, too, but I never felt crowded, and I didn’t have to wait when I arrived. Counting the time it took me to park, I was in and out in less than half an hour.That’s your call, of course. You might be concerned about potential side effects. An older relative of mine had some achiness and fatigue after his second Moderna shot but had felt fine after his first.But I’m not worried now, and I wasn’t before I got the shot, which was free. Time will tell whether that’s a cavalier attitude, even though I don’t believe it is. I decided that getting vaccinated was the right thing to do. I think it’s a good idea, my own minor step toward ending this miserable pandemic. I have selfish reasons, too.I had tickets to see the Rolling Stones at Ford Field last year, but of course, that show was canceled. I’d like to make a future trip back to Ford Field for a rescheduled show.For now, I’ll just have to wait, and crank up “Honky Tonk Women.”Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: .&nbsp;

Detroit Free Press I got my shot on Tuesday.Actually, it was the first of two. The second one is set for April 13, which is three weeks after my first.I was part of a soft opening for the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Ford Field in Detroit before the full show begins on Wednesday.You want to know whether it was easy, whether it was painful, did I have to wait long, did I feel any side effects, which shot was it, and of course, whether you should get it.More:More:I’ll try to answer those questions as best I can, though maybe not in that exact order, and maybe, for the last one, not...

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Eric D. Lawrence

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

What's it like to get your COVID-19 shot at Ford Field? Freep reporter tells his story

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