Christmas Eve 2020: One Year Ago
Hard to believe that it has been a year since I received my first COVID vaccine dose. I was trying to remember back to what the world was back then and what I was thinking. I was so, so, so scared of getting COVID infection, because I saw those patients every day in the hospital, and as a physician, I knew the real story of what was happening to these patients, and not what the media was saying.
I was so concerned about potentially bringing COVID home to my family, and would they be infected? When I received the call that there would be a vaccine dose available for me, a sense of relief went through by system. And, when I finally received that first dose, I felt my first sense of hope that I have felt for the past year.
By taking care of these COVID patients in the hospital, I knew how much these patients (and families) were suffering, just with my day to day work, and it was right then that I told myself that I would try to prevent this from happening to anyone else. And, that’s one thing that drives my passion for COVID vaccination.
Yes, there is too much politics associated with COVID vaccination. And, yes, the medical establishment has done a poor job of communicating to the American public. This post is not to continue the blame game.
I respect people’s right to choose to get the vaccine or not to get the vaccine. It is my job to try to talk to my patients and to talk to my community, to try to address their questions and their concerns. There is no quick way through this, and if it takes me talking to one person at a time about the COVID vaccine, then I’ll do it.
I wish you peace this Christmas Eve. I also wish you health and happiness. I appreciate you reading this, and I hope that we can work together to get through this pandemic....