In an effort to record more details of the pandemic, this is a very late report in the logistics of receiving the first Covid-19 vaccine.
I work in the public school system, and our state and county are not too very bad at recognizing a pandemic when they see one, so once the vaccine became available to the general public (as opposed to just the elderly, those with health issues, and those in medical settings) it took just a couple weeks to set up a mass vaccination site for school system employees. We were asked, through email (on February 16th), if we wanted a vaccine; if we said yes, we were given an appointment slot. This was a slightly slow and cumbersome process, so many people got their vaccines elsewhere. Some got their vaccines elsewhen; at this point vaccines were still in limited supply (hence the staggered roll-out), but "adults at high-risk for exposure" or "health care workers" or other such vague categories were eligible prior to this, and many people got shots based on the idea that teachers/SLPs/OTs/etc. totally qualified under {various vague heading}. It was also possible to find open appointments at some local pharmacies a week or two earlier than those provided by the school system, so there was a lot of shopping around.
But on February 25th, I was given permission to leave work and drive to the local Ag. Center, where members of the National Guard directed us to park, file through various lines and waiting rooms, and get a shot.
At this point people were still social distancing, and while we did not manage to keep six feet away from all other people at all times, a fair attempt was made by most people (most people don't know what 6 ft. is, though; you'd think teachers might be better at this, but no). Everyone wore masks, but it was starting to become more widely known that masks were less important outside.
Before being given the shot you filled out a basic form on health and allergies, pretty much the same as you'd get with a flu shot, but with an extra disclaimer sheet and two separate pamphlets on risks and how everything was perfectly safe. Also, we all got a sticker to wear to tell everyone that we were vaccinated; messaging and peer pressure was (and still is) important.
We were then each given a brief but individual sit-down with a doctor (I got a doctor; maybe some others got nurses?) to double check that we didn't have any special health concerns, to answer any questions, and to just generally make us feel safer. As a side note, this did not happen with the second shot or the booster, and was basically unnecessary for this shot. But people were still pumped up about the whole pandemic and vaccination thing.
The shot was quick and easy, and I got a band-aid with some cartoon character on it. I'm guessing this was just due to supply issues, but I appreciated it.
We then had to sit down for 15 minutes so if we had a negative reaction it'd be while medical staff were nearby. They handed us a little timer and told us to sit. Most people chose to sit inside, but it was a nice day and outside seating was available for those of us who understood germ theory. Or miasma theory. Basically, for anyone who bothered to think. A school counselor had taken the opportunity to hand out parent support resources to all the teachers who came through, so we got some extra literature and a drawstring bag, and we sat and chatted until the timers went off.
This process took longer than it should have -- about an hour and a half including to commute to the ag. center (as is the habit of ag. centers, it was a bit outside of town). No one complained, as this was paid time that would otherwise have been spent working, and, of course, because we wanted to be vaccinated.
The next shot was the same sort of deal, although a bit quicker; the booster was on our own. I had no side effects from this first shot, but the second shot was a full-blown immune response, with fever, severe shakes, nausea, and extreme napping for two days. The booster was akin to a mild case of the flu for 24 hours. While responses to the shots are highly variable across people, those are the three general outcomes reported, so I've gotten the full experience.