Have you heard?  Orange County is launching Operation Independence, which aims to VACCINATE ALL RESIDENTS against Covid-19 BY JULY 4.  And I’m not about to let any of my natural cynicism harsh that great goal; in fact I’ll help however I can. 

A large part of that Operation is the establishing of five “Super-Pods” across the county; the location of four of those is still being determined, but the FIRST one is in my town of Anaheim – in Disneyland’s “Toy Story” Parking Lot, where they plan to vaccinate FIVE THOUSAND residents a day, and eventually SEVEN thousand.  At this point, being basically almost done vaccinating OC’s healthcare workers, they are now taking care of Phase 1B – folks 65 and older who are those most at risk of death from the virus.

Critics are saying, correctly, that the County was in such a rush to get started on the road back to normalcy that they flung together a ghetto-rigged system rife with flaws.  I’m all, yeah, me too.  Just like with the “warp-speed” development of these vaccines, which we’re still not sure HOW LONG they protect us, and whether or not they keep us from being asymptomatic spreaders or not, OC’s distribution system is also an imperfect one as of now, a work-in-progress cobbled together as it was in a leaderless nation with its flag upside-down.

You COULD say, it’s a little “Mickey Mouse” at this point.

As the politicians lined up at this press conference to, mostly, pat themselves on the backs for “their rare and wondrous deed,” we in the comments section of the FB video observed that we were learning more from our own discussion than from the “authorities.”  A few problems we identified were:

• To register for these vaccinations (that’s right by the way, don’t just show up) you need to have access to a computer OR an I-phone app, as well as online savvy and patience, generally lacking to the 65+ folks who are supposed to be getting registered.

• We’d been hoping these vaccinations would be drive-thru as testing has been, but no – you gotta park and wait in a long line.  Why?  No journalist asked.

• Also something we were all wondering which was never asked or specified: Which vaccines will be administered in the Toy Story lot?  Pfizer?  Moderna? Some other newfangled one that’ll come along soon?  We don’t know.

• The website to register is overloaded and crashing right now, which should not surprise anybody.

All these kinks we will iron out in the coming weeks and months – as we all were recently singing,  “until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow!” 

Here’s what you need to know right now:  DON’T just show up at the Toy Story parking lot without an appointment because they are going to be overwhelmed for a WHILE.  Register if you’re 65 or older, or register all your favorite seniors, at othena.com.  It’s easiest to do after 6pm.  Try again and again. If you have any issues, call 714-834-2000 and select the COVID question prompts.  

I’ve already pretty much already summarized the intro by Board of Supervisors Chair Andrew Do, who is certainly the least useless of our four current supervisors.  Then Vice-Chair Doug Chaffee, the Board’s only Democrat, toddled up.  First he made a lame joke about “Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom,” and how Orange County had decided to add an O to her name to come up with Othena.  This caused confusion to many listeners, who began asking each other, “So is it Athena or Othena?” 

Then Doug addressed the rest of his remarks to (not-present) Joe Biden, promising the President-Elect a million and a half OC vaccinations per month, if Joe will just keep us in doses.  Then he invited Joe to our “brain center,” but warned him, with a twinkle in his eye, that he would have to wear a mask and get his temperature taken.  Nobody is as amused by Doug Chaffee as Doug Chaffee himself.

Next who had the gall to stroll up but Covid denier and anti-mask ringleader Don Wagner, who, together with kicked-upstairs Michelle Steel, is partially responsible for the persecution and departure of OC Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick, as well as many OC deaths and illnesses.  A creature of Pringle and the Anaheim kleptocrats, he told us it was Disney who came to the County to offer this location, and exulted at being “in the Shadow of the Matterhorn.” 

Well, however it transpired, this is a good helpful thing Disney‘s doing, during their break from peddling some kind of narcotic “happiness” to countless addicts worldwide and spending millions stacking the Anaheim Council with loyal mindless puppets.  So thanks.

Chau

Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau spoke a little later, about the problem of “vaccine hesitancy.” a polite phrase for the nation’s large lunatic fringe who won’t take ’em.  (The exact same people spent these ten months fighting against masks, claiming the “plandemic” was a phony plot to make Trump look bad, and now refuse to take the vaccines whose development their Messiah is so proud of rushing along.) 

We are putting some money and effort into educating these stubbornly ignorant self-styled “rebels” – as Tito Watch posted last night, only 60% of us are willing to be vaccinated and we gotta get it up to 70% to hit herd immunity.  (Seeing Chau, and relieved to see a relatively honest knowledgeable person, I typed “Our Fauci!” but Jane Rands quickly slapped me down: “Hardly – he removed the mask mandate as soon as Quick resigned.”)

Chau emphasized that, vaccine or not, keep getting tested, keep wearing masks and social distancing, until further notice.  He also said that, since “disadvantaged communities” have a WAY higher mortality rate ESPECIALLY for their elderly, there will be “mobile pods” going out to those neighborhoods.

That’s about it for now but you can watch the video above for yourself.  For more good info on the vaccines go to covidvaccinefacts.com.  Here, again, is where you register if you’re 65 or over: othena.com  – and be patient and stubborn.  And we’re gonna win this thing!

OPERATION INDEPENDENCE IN THE HOUSE!