Why I’ll Be Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked our planet and nothing has been the same since it began. We all want the world to go back to normal and with the emergence of successful COVID-19 vaccinations, we are one step closer to that becoming a reality. I’m not suggesting that government needs to mandate this vaccine. Whether you take it or not will be up to you - it comes down to personal responsibility.

Here’s my decision: I will be getting the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

As many of you know, my wife Jean has been battling a cancer called sarcoma since 2019. If she were to get COVID-19, it would be difficult for her weakened immune system to fight off this disease. Keeping this virus away from her has been my priority. This vaccine will help keep Jean safe.

I have no concerns that the COVID-19 vaccine will be safe and effective. Tests show the Moderna vaccine is 94 percent effective and the Pfizer vaccine is 95 percent effective. These vaccines have gone through the same rigorous trials the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses to test all vaccines. Tens of thousands of people have received these vaccines while successfully participating in trials. By the time a vaccine reaches you, you can trust that it will have been put through numerous phases of clinical trials and be safe for you to take.

Despite this success, concerns still continue to float around on social media about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and in the weeks to come, I anticipate there will be plenty more disinformation floating around online. It’s important when we are making decisions that we take into account the validity of the source and only trust information that comes from reliable sources. The Centers for Disease Control and the FDA say this vaccine will be safe and efficient. I trust that information. Your doctor would also be a good source of information if you have uncertainties.  

I’ve said this before but it’s worth repeating: while we wait for the vaccine, it’s important to continue using common sense to fight this virus. Use hand sanitizer, wash your hands, keep your distance and wear your darn mask when it makes sense. But using common sense can only get us so far. Our lives will only get back to normal after a vaccine is widely distributed.

Here’s the point – vaccines save lives. Vaccines eliminated smallpox worldwide. And they’ve eradicated polio and rubella from this country. Soon, we will be able to add COVID-19 to that list.

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