Don’t hesitate: Vaccinate
I’d be hard-pressed to think of anything good that happened in 2020. It was a horrible year for the health, the economy, and the climate of our world. Don’t get me started on the presidential race. Many people died as a result of the pandemic. A lot of people would have gone hungry were it not for the kindness of strangers preparing food boxes to distribute to needy families. Kids suffered big time. Not only were they forced to be schooled at home, many without the electronic needs, they missed out learning how to socialize with other kids, and for many, that meant no breakfasts and lunches. Yet, even though school buildings were empty, people did their best to provide grab and go lunches. Some businesses even did the same for their local neighborhoods. This shows there is still some good in people.
2020 changed our social life. It started us on the journey of wearing masks, being socially distant from each other, avoiding family gatherings, and no longer touching. Medical researchers worked diligently to develop a vaccine. Every person’s body is different and will react differently. There were some unexpected side effects. Perhaps during the trials people with a particular genetic makeup were not included so these particular side effects were not discovered until after the vaccinations began. But take a moment and think. Don’t be rash. What doesn’t work for some will work for others.
Say no one gets the vaccine. The virus continues to replicate, unchecked, creating a new variant. Some may, over time, develop a natural immunity to the original strain, but now no one is immune to the new variant. Again, the virus continues to mutate creating another new variant and so on. Every day thousands of people were testing positive, going into the hospital and some dying as a result of this virus. I find it difficult that people take it so lightly
Remember the 1950s? People were being diagnosed with polio, another crippling virus that by then reached epidemic proportions. Researchers developed a vaccine. We were told to get in line, roll up our sleeves, and we did. I remember as a child in elementary school going to the nurse’s office and lining up. We had physicals. They recorded height and weight, checked our hearing and eyesight. They checked for lice. We got more vaccinations in school. I even remember getting a TB test. We all had to be vaccinated before we could register for school. Were we denied our rights? Maybe so, but it has been through the use of vaccines that we have slowed polio, smallpox, measles and such.
Remember the 2019 measles scare? Why did that happen? Vaccine hesitancy – a delay in acceptance, or outright refusal of vaccines. Think of your family, friends, coworkers and people you come in contact with on a regular basis.
Just think that maybe one day we can get back to the real normal. People won’t have to wear masks at all. You can go to your favorite restaurant and sit down and have a meal without worrying that someone two tables over is coughing.
Before you flat-out say no to a vaccination, think of how many people may be affected by your choice. As for me, I have consideration for my family and friends. I got vaccinated. Now how about you?
Kathy Bartolotta
Tower Hill Two