I got my COVID booster, flu, and RSV shots this morning. My health insurance through Penn State covered the full cost.
These vaccines should reduce the likelihood that I will catch one of these diseases, or if I do succumb to one of them, reduce the likelihood of serious disease. They are truly modern scientific miracles, and I am immensely grateful to the researchers who develop them, and the systems that deploy them at-scale.
Beyond the benefits to me, these vaccines benefit others. I’ve lost unvaccinated friends to COVID, and there is overwhelming evidence that the vaccines reduce the most severe disease. By getting vaccinated, I reduce the chance that I will convey these highly communicable diseases to others. So, keeping my vaccination status current is one among many sacrifices I gladly choose to make for my family, my friends, and my community.
I wish that CVS gave out “I’m vaxxed” stickers like the “I voted” stickers we give out at my polling place. Rest assured, I’ll be sporting one of the latter on November 7. And of course, I’ll be more relaxed interacting with the voting public knowing that I’m vaxxed to the maxx.
