Feb. 18, 2021
There was a sense of excitement shared by staff at Adair Drug on Burkesville Street earlier this week. Joe Spires, who celebrated his 100th birthday in November, was coming in to get a coronavirus vaccination. The local pharmacy is one of few pharmacies to take on the federal red tape required so they could offer the vaccine to area residents.
“Getting the shot is just something that goes along with it,” said Spires, who entertained the workers with stories from his life while he waited. “The first vaccination I ever had to get was when we (family) were riding along in a wagon. We had to ride six miles to get a shot for typhoid fever.”
Spires’ daughter, Judy Burton, brought “Papa Joe” to get his vaccination. While she was there, she got hers, too.
“Some people thought he shouldn’t have gotten it because of his age, but I thought he should,” Burton said. “He wanted to get it, so I just left it up to him.”
Burton said she contacted officials at the state Veteran’s Administration to make sure they approved of Spires getting the vaccine. She said they gave the idea the green light and told her to take him to a local facility.
“I wasn’t nervous about taking the vaccination today because I have taken so many of them in the past,” said Spires, an Army veteran who served in the South Pacific during World War II. “It was one of the easiest shots I had ever been given – didn’t even know they did it.”
Spires, who will readily admit he has been through a lot over the last 100 years, including falling from the roof of a house at the age of 78, said he’s not worried about COVID-19.
“I take precautions and I try to be safe,” Spires said. “But I don’t even think about it. If it happens, it just happens.”
As more and more residents came into Adair Drug to get their vaccination, Spires said everyone should do what he did.
“I think everyone should get the shot,” said Spires. “I think this is a good idea and will help a lot of lives. This is nothing to worry about.”
By Scott Wilson
Assistant Editor
scott@adairvoice.com
