There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and, unlike the rest of 2020, this time it isn’t a metaphorical train barreling toward us.
The announcement of not one but two 90-plus% effective vaccines — and a third that’s 70% effective — gives us hope for a return to “normal.” It will be a long and laborious process, but there’s a glimmer on the horizon that hints that, sooner rather than later, a new post-COVID-19 day will dawn.
Governors in each state are taking stock and deciding who needs vaccinated first. Gov. Jim Justice decided round one of the Pfizer vaccine goes to first responders, medical workers and the staff and residents of long-term care facilities. We are ecstatic to see our frontline workers and most vulnerable populations be vaccinated, but we’ll breathe a little easier when they receive the second dose. As Mary Wade Burnside mentioned in her column Sunday, it takes two shots for the vaccine to be fully effective. Next up will be teachers and education staff as well as workers in critical sectors (transportation, government, etc.).
This is a start. It will still be months before the vaccine is widely available to everyone, and that’s OK. When it does get to us, it supposedly won’t cost us anything out of pocket, which means money won’t be a barrier to public health. As the rest of us await our turn, we’ll need to continue to be cautious. We’ll still need to wear our masks, wash our hands frequently, social distance and take other necessary precautions. The difference now is, instead of looking into an endlessly bleak future, we know there will be a time when we can say goodbye to masks and standing 6 feet apart.
We will never again live in a pre-COVID world, but there is hope for a post-COVID world that allows us to reclaim some of the things we lost this year. Like the ability to go out to restaurants with family and to bars with friends; to sit in a packed cinema for a much-anticipated movie premier; to attend live theater performances and concerts; to visit with loved ones and be able to sit in the same room as them, without barriers or masks, and to embrace them hello and goodbye; to let our houses become just homes again, instead of offices/schools/gyms/day cares/whatever else your house has turned into over the last nine months.
Yes, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re not sure how long it will take, but we will make it through to the other side of this pandemic. It will be a long, dark winter, but don’t give up hope. We will get through this.
