During August, my family and I attended the wedding of a close relative in Virginia. This event was especially exciting because the wedding had been postponed twice due to COVID-19. The invitations went from save the date, to change the date, and finally pray for the date.
Just as the anticipation was beginning to sour, we were finally able to come together and celebrate officially their becoming a family.
And then a large portion of the wedding got sick with COVID-19, including my immediate family. Out of the eight of us, five tested positive. Fortunately, everyone in my family was fully vaccinated and all five recovered in under two weeks. My sister, who had gotten sick with COVID-19 almost a year ago, feared that it would be as brutal of an experience as it was the first time. But instead, she quickly beat it and was back feeling healthy again.
Although it is always difficult to be sick, we were granted some peace of mind in knowing that the vaccine would help protect us from experiencing COVID-19 at full force. I’ve heard quite often how the vaccine is failing and that this is evident in the rising numbers of sick individuals, including the vaccinated. The conclusion is then that the vaccine is not a necessity and is a waste of time. However, my experience has demonstrated quite the opposite.
Although the vaccine is not 100% effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19, it has greatly decreased the chances of hospitalization of any sick individual and is protecting high risk citizens. We are nearing the end of this lengthy pandemic, but we need to continue to make smart decisions, including becoming vaccinated, until we have ensured the COVID-19 is no longer a threat.
