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I have been “COVID aware” for 17 months now.

I won’t take time here to rehash all that we’ve lived through during that year and a half.

You know it. You know the fear, the caution, the frustration, the sadness, the loneliness, the sense of loss. You know the anger many of us have begun to feel for those who are denying the seriousness of this pandemic—the ones who are refusing vaccination and mask wearing.

I find it helpful, at times, to step inside someone else’s experience in an attempt to understand the gravity of a situation. I read something on social media today that did just that. It stopped me in my tracks.

It is attributed, simply, to “Jenifer, RN, Stormont Vail Health”:

  *Time* the sedative was given

  *Time* the paralytic was given

  *Time* the patient was intubated

  *Time* their central line was placed

  *Time* their arterial line was placed

  *Time* their Vas Cath was placed

  *Time* CRRT initiated

  *Time* the patient was proned

  *Time* the ABG was drawn

  *Time* the family was notified

  *Time* the Zoom meeting was set

  *Time* the family said their goodbyes

  *Time* of death

That was someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, friend, spouse.

If you have even the SLIGHTEST bit of opportunity to prevent getting this virus and giving it to others – Take it.

*Time* 1118

That’s the *time* I received the Covid-19 vaccine today.

Jenifer, RN, Stormont Vail Health

According to current data gathered by Johns Hopkins University, about 2,000 people a week in the United States are dying from Covid-19. Most of those have been infected by the Delta variant, which is more virulent and fast-spreading.

About 99 percent of deaths today are people who did not get vaccinated.

We are now seeing account after account of patients dying in hospitals who are telling loved ones they regret not getting the vaccine. Their last hours are looking a lot like Nurse Jenifer’s account.

It’s difficult to admit, but I don’t feel much sympathy for the unvaccinated.

There are many reasons noted for people refusing to get the vaccine. They don’t trust it. They don’t trust the government. They don’t trust Biden. Getting vaccinated and wearing masks would infringe on their personal freedom. Protecting the vulnerable is not their problem. They’re getting their pandemic “facts” from Tucker Carlson rather than Anthony Fauci.  It’s a political statement.

As we prepare to enter yet another season of Covid, those who continue to do their part are pretty sick of the ones who don’t. These people’s selfishness and ignorance will ensure we’re still dealing with Covid for a long, long time.

Personally, I’m righteously pissed off.

I’m angry that my friend has had to cancel his 50th birthday celebration. I’m angry that I can’t make my annual trip to India. I’m angry that I’m questioning whether or not I should attend my precious granddaughter’s upcoming wedding. I’m angry that our beautiful yoga camp may need to be changed to an online camp for the second year in a row.

I’m angry that healthy kids are now dying from Covid. I’m angry that our kids and teachers may not be safe going back to in-person learning. I’m angry that our hospitals are, once again, unable to accommodate “other-than-Covid illnesses.” I’m angry that my nurse and doctor friends are living on high alert after thinking this was possibly over.

I’m angry that the “no-mask guerillas” are threatening the lives of doctors who are bravely doing their jobs.

I’m angry that those who are immunocompromised and can’t get the vaccine are being put at risk.

We know that with vaccines and mask wearing this could be over soon, but “the selfish ones” are keeping us in a state of Covid limbo that could linger on for years.

I’m angry that this all could have been prevented.

Please, get your vaccine and wear a mask. It is the most generous thing you can do—for others and for yourself.

*Time* 5 months, 27 days, 3 hours since I received my 2nd Covid vaccine.

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