I just received my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
I think this vaccination is one of our only ways to get back to a sense of normalcy, and I hope more people will get it.
But why would people choose to not get it when their time comes? Do they not believe it will make a difference? Are they afraid they will have a bad reaction?
Maddie Smith, Otterbein alumna and current nurse practitioner at Ohio State Medical Center, said people are uncertain about the vaccine.
“I think the biggest hesitation now is that people know other people who have had bad reactions to it, causing them to become scared.” Smith said.
Rose Grady, Otterbein alumna and nurse practitioner, who works with Smith said the real facts were needed to overcome the misinformation.
“The hesitancy now is that people do not want to experience those 24-48 hours of flu-like symptoms or they hear the rare story about a person having an adverse allergic reaction.” Grady said.
Smith and Grady agreed that the vaccine was key to getting back to normal.
“It is the ultimate stop to the virus. It is not a sudden stop, but it is the means to get back to normalcy,” Grady said.
I think most of us are looking forward to seeing others without masks.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has said that the mask mandate will remain until a “critical mass” of people have received the vaccination.
Grady said that if most adults are vaccinated by May, then “by summer we could have some normalcy.”
It is truly unfortunate that we had to experience something like this pandemic, but if we want to get back to a somewhat normal life, we should consider listening to healthcare professionals like Grady and Smith.
I want to spend my final year at Otterbein without having to wear a mask.
I want to go to a Cincinnati Reds game.
My grandmother has pancreatic cancer. I want to spend time with her.
Please, get vaccinated so we can get back to normal.
