When I picked up the prescription for the antibiotic, it was the first time I'd paid for any meds using Tricare For Life. It was a bit of a discussion with the checkout clerk as she seemed unfamiliar with it and kept insisting I must have Medicare Part D. My Tricare coverage was already in their system. The pharmacist squared her away, and the bill was only $2.30.

There was a couple about my age standing next to me, and apparently they're retired military too and were singing the praises of Tricare For Life as well. I asked them what they were there for, and they said they were getting the RSV shot. That reminded me that I wanted to check to see if they had the new COVID shot, which I mentioned to the pharmacist tech. (They did.)

The guy said, "Why bother? It doesn't do any good."

I just smiled and said I've gotten every one I was eligible for and I haven't caught COVID yet, that I know of.

So I went off to see about getting a COVID shot and they sat down to get their RSV shots.

But I wondered, what kind of thinking does it take to decide that a COVID vaccination "doesn't do any good," and therefore you won't take it; but you will get the RSV vaccination? You must believe mRNA vaccines aren't effective or something. Someone should have alerted the Nobel committee.

People are weird.

I ended up getting both the new COVID formulation (Moderna, they didn't have Pfizer, my preferred brand.) and the RSV shot.

Living in Florida is, literally, like taking your life in your hands. I'll take all the help I can get.