#GetOutTheVax

     Vaccinations are moving in the right direction for the United States. More than half of Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and we should be on track to fully come out of the coronavirus pandemic before the end of the year. It appears the new developments offered by the CDC (the relaxation of mask guidelines for fully-vaccinated people and the approval of Pfizer vaccines for everyone ages 12 and up) has resulted in more people getting vaccinated: the passing of the halfway point should boost confidence enough to keep up this momentum until Independence Day. 

     Vaccination rates have doubled this past week, and it is visible in public: the local pharmacy where I was vaccinated ran out of chairs to seat people who were under their 15-minute post-vaccination waiting time. Still, we need to get to about 80 percent to reach critical mass, and there are still a few who do not trust the vaccines. You CAN make a difference.

     This past spring, Andrew Yang launched the #GetOutTheVax initiative to promote vaccination in New York City. Other clinics and organizations have taken to using the hashtag, including Columbus, Ohio, and the author of this post in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Use the hashtag in social media, post pictures of your shot online, change your profile picture or frame to a custom one telling people you got vaccinated, and make sure your family and friends feel free to choose while also knowing that the vaccines are safe, effective, and painless. Even if you are young and healthy, your grandparents may not be so lucky, and working to bring our country back to normal needs to be done with vaccines.

     Another important word of advice: unless you get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, you need to wait until to get your second dose to go mask-free. Vaccines work by coding the RNA in your body to produce COVID antibodies, and this takes time. Even after you get fully vaccinated, it may take about two weeks to get the full benefit. I got my first dose of the Moderna vaccine on April 28th, my second is on May 26th, and I will be able to largely ditch my mask on June 9th. I say largely because it is still up to businesses and states to determine their policies on masks.