A year has passed

A year has passed since the first incidence of Covid-19 was discovered in the United States. And I think it’s safe to say we know more about protecting ourselves now than we did back then. Yes, we knew that washing our hands were key from the beginning, but now we know being distant and using face masks are also necessary.

Being distant has taken a toll on many. Some people have gone without seeing loved ones for months if not the entire year thus far. While the physical pain can be easier to track, the emotional pain can be just as great if not more. Hundreds of thousands of individuals have died from Covid, many have long lasting after effects, and some have even committed suicide. While the full toll of Covid may never be known, it is something that appears will be with us for a long time.

It’s great that many people are getting vaccinated, but there are many that are making the decision not to get vaccinated and many that want the vaccine but so far have been unable to secure a shot. It seems some of the frustration with the vaccine is the fact that it came to market fairly quickly and some just don’t trust it. Millions have been vaccinated in the US and throughout the world with minimal complications.

The seemingly haphazard way the vaccine is being administered is also a source of great frustration. The Federal Government is distributing the vaccines to the states, and then from there the states are deciding how to administer the vaccine. Here in Florida, that means every county is different. Counties that share boarders are even different.

There is a portal that is run by the government that individuals are encouraged to enroll, but that has proven to be difficult. Then there are the independent pharmacies that are also getting allotments and that means additional portals to sign up. For example, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Publix, Walgreens, and CVS are all getting allotments, but not all sites are providing the vaccine. In my county, Walmart is not vaccinating people, rather they are doing it through Sam’s Club.

Another frustrating point was just last week, many of these signup portals were closed due to the severe winter weather in the central states. The inclement weather meant vaccines didn’t make it to Florida. While I’m not aware of any vaccines cancelled due to the weather, I do know new appointments were not being accepted. Hopefully, this week the portals will be back online and signing people up.

Just last week there were reports of two individuals dressing as older individuals trying to skip ahead and get the second vaccine. Yes, they received the first dose but were stopped from getting the second dose. Here’s a link to an article but it was heavily reported so I’m sure you may have seen it already. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article249365275.html

The future does seem promising as I did read an article that they anticipate in April that the masses will qualify for the vaccine with Americans being fully vaccinated in June or July. That’s great news but I’m sure we will be wearing masks, washing hands, and sanitizing well into the future. Hopefully, these new practices will ward off future flu seasons as well and just may change how we do business and meet people in the future.

photo cred: www.cdc.com