WS Chronicle

COVID-19 has made us worn and weary. Our temperaments have changed. We have become frazzled and on edge. Our patience is wearing thin. We are just out of sorts.

The deaths and illnesses caused by COVID-19 are staggering. The tragedy is that the numbers keep increasing. Sometimes it seems as if there is no end in sight.

If there is any good news about this, it is that the vaccine is working. It doesn’t matter what you took, as long as you took one of them. I believe that taking the vaccine was a must. It was a health imperative. Those who say otherwise were whistling a bad tune.

But do not worry, when it hits them, they will change their tune and admit their negligence.

Still, at this juncture, we have over 70 million people in this country who have not received their first shot. That is a big number given the fact we have been talking about the vaccine for months. Despite this statistic, booster shots are now a part of the vaccine regimen.

Pfizer began its booster shot program last week. However, it is not for everybody.

“Consequently, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-vaccine is authorized for use as a booster dose among individuals who completed a primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine,” said Dr. Doran Fink, a deputy director of the FDA’s Division of Vaccines.

One of the groups that it is for is people who are 65 years and older. According to the Centers for Disease Control, this is one of the most vulnerable groups.

If you recall, President Joe Biden wanted everybody to get a booster shot eight months after the first shot. That is not happening. There is a difference of opinion among healthcare experts about this additional shot and this is not helping the vaccine cause. This divide is strengthening the case for some not to get vaccinated. I can hear them saying now, “I told you so. I told you it wouldn’t work.”

Dr. William Schaffner of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, believes there should be two goals: The first goal is to get people vaccinated and the second is to get them to take the booster shot.

These are achievable goals and we the people need to get on board. Our lives are at stake and we are at risk each day that we do not have maximum protection.

Geography and statistics tell us where the unvaccinated are living. Their reasons for not taking the vaccine are varied and vague.

What the science is telling them is that their living is being compromised.

Reports say over 90% of the people in hospitals with the coronavirus are unvaccinated. When will it matter to them? Maybe never.

As the booster shot by Pfizer is out, availability and access will be concerns at the health desk.

There is still too much vaccine hesitancy among the American public. Since the initial vaccine rollout, there has been a strong marketing campaign. Stars and celebrities are touting the vaccine. We will see the same push for the booster shots.

In the coming weeks and months, other companies will release their booster shots. Will there be the same requirements? We will have to wait and see.

Let us hope going forward that there is consensus among the experts about the parameters. They must be crystal clear. These are sensitive matters and perceptions go a long way.

We must trust and believe in our medical experts.

The important thing is the vaccines and booster shots are trying to prevent the spread of the deadliest virus in our lifetime.

It is called COVID-19.

James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D., is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was all-conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator. He can be reached at overtimefergie.2020@yahoo.com.