The Great 2020 Pause

Talk of a vaccine against Covid 19 is heavy in the news these days. At least three pharmaceutical companies are close to releasing a version of the booster. Astra Seneca, Pfizer and Moderna are in the running to be the first allowed to offer their product to the public.

Our country has been in some form of shut down for almost a year now. A vaccine should raise confidence for those on the front line in essential jobs as well as those at the highest risk of dying from this virus. However, many Americans are hesitant to be among the first to receive the shot. The level of distrust in the safety of it matches the level of skepticism that has surrounded the entire pandemic. People just don't know what to believe.

I have to admit that I am among the skeptics. I listen to the statistics and the hysteria presented in mainstream news and I'm sick to my stomach. I'm no expert on math or probability but it doesn't take a statistician to see that the numbers just don't add up. In response to the daily announcements of the newly diagnosed cases, hospitalizations and deaths, I find myself with only questions regarding the details of these catagories. What does this all REALLY mean?

We are approaching the holidays, a time when families gather from across the nation. College kids make their way back to home cooking and the familiarity of tradition. Many families plan warm destination trips, choosing to spend their holiday time off the grid. Folks drive long distance to be "Home for the Holidays". None of these plans are recommended at this time. Minnesota has joined many other states by enacting stay at home orders, disguised as firmly suggested requests. We sit before our television, listening to our Governor repeat the dire numbers as he chastises us like we are insolent children, telling us over and over, "I know this is hard!"

It's been eight months of masking and social distancing, shutting down commerce, education and travel. Does this all just end once we oblige to the needle, take our medicine and pronounce we are now safe to share our breath with others? The lasting effect of this pandemic and the consequences we've endured during this 'pause' in our old normal, will live long after the virus has been halted in it's tracks with a vaccine. Many businesses will never reopen, the homeless will not magically be able to afford a warm place to lay their head, and our economy will suffer for years as though we've gone through another great depression. The vaccine is just the beginning.

I plan to be vaccinated as soon as it is available to me. That may take a while since the vaccine is being rationed in the United States. I'm not 100% certain about the safety of it, but I want to be able to say that I have taken it, I am safe and I won't make you sick. I want my life back. I want to move forward. I guess we have to start somewhere.

Doing our part until we are taken off of Pause