Telemedicine consulting in Hawaii

  I had my very first telemedicine experience with my doctor. I had badly sprained my knee which already had some problems. I was asked to consult a doctor by the local hospital Straub Medical Center in Honolulu. The hospital was cautious due to corona virus concerns. More than 10 days ago I had my first Moderna vaccine but still it is important to take precautions against this Wuhan virus.

The hospital uses the doxy.me telemedicine provider and you may get the expenses reimbursed. . I got a link in my email. I clicked the link to get to the online site where we could talk to each other. It was clean and easy.

One thing that needs improvement: 

The link to connect to the doctor could have given to me earlier. As I was concerned, and the promised link did not come till the last minute or so of the appointment, I was getting concerned. It could have been avoided.

Otherwise, everything was fine and I had a good time with the doctor. To minimize the time and get maximum interaction, I had prepared a script leading up to the point when I noticed I needed to consult. I did not want to waste doctor's time.

The downside of telemedicine in the case of a orthopedics at least, the patient's concerns remains. A face-to-face interaction a with doctor is most appropriate as a patient's version of his problem may not be acccurate.

Hawaii seems to be in the list where reimbursement is made for services provided. More details go here: https://doxy.me/telemedicine-reimbursement. 

One man's experience after the first dose of Moderna vaccine

  On Feb 3, 2021 the first shot of COVID_19 vaccine was given. The details are as follows:

MODERNA Covid-19, mRNA vaccine (PF) 0.5 mL IM

Feb 3 - Feb 6: There was only slight heaviness in the right arm for the next three days.
Feb 6 - Feb 13: There did not appear to be any reaction. Everything normal
Feb 14 - Feb 15: Slight itchy feeling at vaccinated site
Feb 16: Itchy feeling increased, redness in the vaccinated site, slight swelling
Feb 17: Body ache, no fever, redness of the skin and elevated temperature in the vaccinated site.

Feb 18: Redness a tad reduced, area that's red has slightly increased, still warm to touch

Here is a picture of the vaccinated site:

Almost elliptical area having redness and hardness.

Fortunately escaped the more severe of the vaccination.

Vaccination location details here:

Hodentek: Keeping track of vaccination against COVID-19 virus

Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 in Honolulu was a pleasant experience

  Today, we got our first COVID-19 vaccine shot in Honolulu, Hawaii. There was no hitch of any kind and everything went smoothly.

The vaccination for senior citizens started from Jan 25. The registration for getting the vaccination was available on line. The registration begins with choosing a date and time on the Queens Hospitals online forms. 

A day before the vaccination, there was a telephone call to verify the details of the folks receiving the vaccine and making sure they show up.

The vaccination was provided at the Blaisdell Center, a landmark community facility in Honolulu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_S._Blaisdell_Center

Photo source: Facebook

Folks receiving the vaccine need to line up (of course mask and distancing was mandatory) for entering the registration and the vaccination seats. There were helpers to assist seniors who did not bring in the Covid-19 safety questionnaire, an important document for addressing any safety issues.

After verifying the registration information, folks were guided to the vaccination seats, that took place in the entrance of the concert hall. There was no need to line up as there were plenty of stations. The details of the person receving the vaccination was verifieed one more time. They were especially careful of people who had previous history of allergy, vaccination or food related. Folks who had allergy hsitory were asked to wait for 30 minutes after they took the vaccination. The following is the detail of the immunization recieved:

MODERNA Covid-19, mRNA vaccine (PF) 0.5 mL IM

The second shot is scheduled after i month interval.

The experience was pleasnat and the execution was faultless. 

Here are some pictures of the day:

Line up to enter

Register

Wait for a short while after the shot

Get a badge to show that you are vaccinated.