The Insider:
Congratulations on you and your wife finally getting appointments to be vaccinated! Just a few few questions before we talk about your vaccinations.
How old are you and your wife?
Craig Davis:
I am 60 and she is 62.
The Insider:
And how many children and grandchildren do you have?
Craig Davis:
I have three sons and four grandchildren
The Insider:
How many years have you been married?
Craig Davis:
40 years in August
The Insider:
Wonderful!! You must have been high school sweethearts!
Craig Davis:
I met her a year after high school.
The Insider:
Where in New York do you live?
Craig Davis:
We live in Queens Village.
The Insider:
Is that in Queens?
Craig Davis:
Yes
The Insider:
And what kind of work do you do?
Craig Davis:
I am a doorman in Manhattan
The Insider:
The big day is coming! Where and when are you both being vaccinated?
Craig Davis:
At a CVS Pharmacy in Queens on Wednesday.
The Insider:
How long have you been trying to get vaccination appointments?
Craig Davis:
A month.
The Insider:
And it was frustrating, right?
Craig Davis:
Yes I was getting upset about how it was being run.
The Insider:
How did you get started in this process?
Craig Davis:
I was looking at the news and my union called me about getting the vaccines.
The Insider:
So where did you try to get it first?
Craig Davis:
At Long Island Jewish Hospital, at York College, and at my son’s old high school in Queens.
The Insider:
Did you go on their websites, or did you call them?
Craig Davis:
Called and went on the websites.
The Insider:
And what happened?
Craig Davis:
They said there were no appointments and no vaccines.
I spent hours on the phone. My wife almost died latest year from Covid-19.
The Insider:
Oh, no! When did she have Covid?
Craig Davis:
In March of last year.
The Insider:
Very, very early in the pandemic.
Craig Davis:
Yes
The Insider:
That must have been so frightening! No one knew much about it yet.
Craig Davis:
So I was worried about getting the vaccines.
The Insider:
Of course! Was she in the hospital?
Craig Davis:
No I took care of her in a room upstairs. I got checked out . I was fine so I took care of her by myself. I thank God she is fine today.
The Insider:
Yes! Did anyone else in your family get it?
Craig Davis:
No, thank God.
The Insider:
Did you have neighbors or friends who had it?
Craig Davis:
Some members of my church had it and passed away.
The Insider:
I’m sorry! There were also clergymen who died of it, right?
Craig Davis:
Yes
The Insider:
Did you know any of them?
Craig Davis:
Yes.
The Insider:
Young? Old?
Craig Davis:
Young and old
The Insider:
So sad! No wonder you were so eager to be vaccinated!
You said that before you got your appointments, you were starting to get upset
about how the process was being run. Could you please tell me more about that?
Craig Davis:
Just waiting on the phone for a long time, being told “I will call you back” and it didn’t happen.
The Insider:
Please tell me about the experiences of other people you know, friends and family. Are they having trouble finding vaccinations too?
Craig Davis:
Yes. They’re going through this as well.
The Insider:
In your neighborhood?
Craig Davis:
Yes and in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
The Insider:
Does it seem like other areas are having an easier time?
Craig Davis:
Yes.
The Insider:
Whose fault is that? Politicians?
Craig Davis:
On the news, they show you people get the vaccines, but they do not show you the people being turned away.
The Insider:
Do you think Biden is doing a better job taking care of this now?
Craig Davis:
Yes I do, but more is needed.
People are dying.. I do not want people to go through what I went through.
The Insider:
Do you know any people who say they won’t get a vaccine?
Craig Davis:
Yes, I do
The Insider:
Young? Old?
Craig Davis:
Young black men and old white men.
The Insider:
What reasons do they give?
Craig Davis:
Because of fear. Of the past.
The Insider:
Fear of what? Of the vaccines themselves, or the medical system, or the government?
Are you talking about Tuskegee?
Craig Davis:
Yes..
The Insider:
I can understand that. But this is such a horrible disease. It’s too risky to be like that.
Craig Davis:
True, but it is out there.
The Insider:
A common attitude, do you think?
Craig Davis:
Yes, but it is a concern of mine.
The Insider:
But you’re going to take it anyway. Why?
Craig Davis:
Yes. I have a loving wife and grandchildren. I want to be with them and my sons.
The Insider:
Good reasons! How do you expect your lives to change after being vaccinated?
Craig Davis:
I don’t really. No, but I pray for the better.
I missed my father’s homegoing service when he passed. It was in Florida.
The Insider:
That’s so sad! You couldn’t go because of the pandemic?
Craig Davis:
Yes.
The Insider:
Was there a funeral with a lot of people, or they couldn’t do that either?
Craig Davis:
No. a very small number of people. It was sad for all of us.
The Insider:
I’m sure! I know families in the same situation. They have only been able to get together by Zoom.
Craig Davis:
Yes
The Insider:
Would you go on a plane after being vaccinated? Or in a restaurant? Or is it still too risky?
Craig Davis:
I have been in restaurant.
The Insider:
Inside?
Craig Davis:
Yes. With my mask on.
The Insider:
It still makes me nervous. People are taking off their masks when they eat.
Have you traveled during the pandemic?
Craig Davis:
No.
The Insider:
It’s hard to know what to do these days!
I’m all set now. I’m glad you’re finally getting vaccinated, and that your family. Is healthy now!
Craig Davis:
Thanks very much!
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