Holidays are a time of joy and celebration for so many, they are a time for large meals and family hugs. Holidays are not a time for hospital beds or quarantined Zoom calls.
Last year many met masked and distanced, more didn’t gather for fear of transmission, while many more ignored Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulations altogether and continued with holiday traditions as normal. This year is different. We have the opportunity to gather and to do it safely.
Vaccines are the best way that we have to fight against COVID-19 and to protect others in our community. After almost a year of the vaccine being available to the public and its continued surveillance, evidence has shown that it is safe and effective.
According to studies published by the CDC, people who have previously had COVID-19 are more than twice as likely to get reinfected by the virus than those who are fully vaccinated. It was also found that an unvaccinated person is 13 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 20 times more likely to die from the virus than a vaccinated person. We’re still living in a pandemic and reaching community immunity, where enough people are vaccinated that the spread of the virus stops, is the best way we have to find its end.
Help your neighbors, help Juneau, get vaccinated. It is the best gift to give our community this year.
If you have more questions or want to make an appointment to get vaccinated, call (907)586-6000 or your doctor.
Abby Meiners,
Juneau