The importance of being vaccinated

The importance of being vaccinated

 

We've all heard it said over and over again: We're now in the phase of the pandemic when it's a race between vaccinations and the variants.   It has been neck and neck for a while, and honestly, I was ready to cheer a vaccine victory. We nearly dropped to an average of fewer than 10,000 new cases a day, an important number because, according to President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, that number moves the country into "containment" -- a time when we would finally get our arms around the spread. We came tantalizingly close: 11,299 cases in late June.   But then the variants caught some speed, and the vaccine started to fall behind. We are now at an average of 30,730 new cases a day, and all indications point to that number rising. There are many countries around the world that now are seeing case rates increase against a backdrop of sparse vaccine supply. Here in the United States, we have plenty of vaccine available -- a precious commodity almost every country around the world wishes they had. We have the means to distribute vaccines and have even made them free of charge.   I believe most of us also fundamentally understand the best way to get a handle on the pandemic and return fully to life as we know it is to vaccinate enough people. What we are lacking is the will.   Convincing most unvaccinated Americans to get their shots will take more time than initial phases of vaccinations, White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters at a briefing earlier this month.   "Each person in this phase will take longer to reach, but that makes them no less important. And the spread of the Delta variant, which poses a particular threat to our young people, only strengthens our resolve to reach everyone," he said.   That's an effort I am 100% behind.   ➕ From my colleagues Megan Marples and Ryan Prior: How to speak to someone who’s hesitant to get vaccinated