Who else is looking forward to group hugs and celebrations like this again?

Today marks a further turning point in getting events back, with eligibility for the vaccine opening up to all US adults. While we acknowledge it will still take some time to get the vaccine into arms, we are excited for the future. We want to encourage our followers to sign up and get vaccinated so we can save lives and get life as we used to know it back.

There’s a few things to point out. The vaccines eliminate virtually all serious illness and death from COVID-19. This alone is amazing. Evidence from Israel, the country with the largest share of their population vaccinated, and early indicators in CDC data show positive signs that the vaccines are also helping prevent infection and spread itself, an outcome that many were optimistic about and believed could prove correct, but cautiously did not get ahead of without evidence. We look forward to the completion of current studies that will give us a definitive understanding of this factor.

Complications due to vaccination are extremely rare and these risks are far less when compared to those of COVID-19. Government health organizations have taken an extra cautious response to adenoviral vector vaccine candidates (Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca) — not mRNA (Moderna, Pfizer) — and the speculation surrounding their potential for contributing to a serious, but small, number of cases involving blood clotting. It is okay to be hesitant, but where there is personal doubt, there is plenty of publicly available science, data, and information to let you analyze all of this for yourself and make an appropriate decision. Remember, that this is all an ongoing process where our knowledge and understanding can and will change. Allow room for this ever evolving situation.

Regarding behaviors during this period, as mentioned before, it takes time to get everyone access to the vaccines and its distribution, just like the brunt of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from the virus, has not been equitably shared — actually perhaps the most concerning variable in the vaccination efforts. This, coupled with further vaccine studies mentioned above and the continued high levels of community spread, is why we must continue to show solidarity with mask wearing, social distancing, and other best practices in public.

Hold on, we’re almost there. We look forward to dancing together again soon.