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Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed amazing feats of human innovation and adaptation. With the rollout of three major vaccines in the United States, the cloud of COVID-19 is finally beginning to break. As millions of Americans across the country are getting vaccinated, many of us are feeling hopeful about the future again.
When it comes to the vaccines, we know two things: they’re safe and they work. And even though the public perception of these vaccines is changing in a positive way, there’s still work to be done.
According to Sujal Mandavia, MD, FRCP(C), FACEP, and our Chief Medical Officer, “The next step will be to keep educating and encouraging people who are hesitant to get vaccinated, either because they feel they are a part of an invincible population or because they may not have experienced the seriousness of COVID-19 firsthand.”
At Carbon Health, we believe that different insights are a strength, and they’re a part of what allows us to make more-informed decisions. So we decided to ask our own team members why they chose to get vaccinated — and how they’d encourage others to take their shot at a healthier future.
Like a lot of people, many of our team members chose to receive the vaccine to help do their part to rid the world of COVID-19 and hopefully soon enjoy some of the things we’ve had to give up due to the pandemic.
“For me, being vaccinated is about collectively defeating this deadly pandemic one vaccine at a time, and I wanted to do my part!”
“I got vaccinated so I could relax again with friends and family. Seeing my friends individually, distanced, outdoors, and with masks was so fraught with anxiety that one of us could be one of the young, healthy people who was seriously affected by COVID-19. Also, I’ve never been much of a hugger, but once it wasn’t an option anymore, I missed it.”
“Aside from health concerns for me and my family, I got vaccinated because I want to be able to safely dance again. I have been a swing dancer, teacher, and performer for over 12 years, and I miss it so, so incredibly much. I miss the floor-thumping live jazz, the dance halls filled with the people I care about, and the intense joy that this form of expression brings. I can’t wait to be able to safely get back to my community, and the vaccine is the only way to ensure that safety.”
For some of us, the decision to become vaccinated was influenced by loved ones who were at a greater risk of becoming seriously ill if infected.
“I got vaccinated to make sure I am not a liability to my elderly parents or to myself. I’ve only been out of the house maybe six times since Super Bowl 2020. Now it’s time for me to take baby steps to get over my fear of infection.”
“I got vaccinated to help protect my family and my patients. I have a 95-year-old grandmother, parents in their seventies, a husband, sisters, a toddler, and a baby. The baby was not yet one when I completed my vaccinations. I am breastfeeding and so was able to pass along COVID-19 antibodies to my children!”
"For me, getting vaccinated was about family. My parents are both in their seventies, and my brother has a compromised immune system due to a failing liver. My choice to get vaccinated was more than just keeping me healthy, it was about keeping them healthy, too."
And for some of us, the choice to get vaccinated stemmed from the tragic realities of COVID-19 and its permanent marks.
“After losing the woman who raised me to COVID-19 weeks before the vaccine became available to her, I realized that to pass up the opportunity to protect myself, my family, and the families of others would be taking for granted the grace of my good health and the additional time I was given to live, where many, many others were unable.”
When it comes to the vaccine, it might feel like you’re just one person. But as a group, we have the opportunity to be a part of something that allows us to safely return to the people and places that make us feel connected. We may have different reasons for getting vaccinated, but they’re all important, and they all bring us one step closer to a future free of COVID-19.
Most states have opened up COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 years old or older, with the remaining states planning to follow very soon. And we’d like to help you schedule an appointment.
To find a vaccination location near you:
1. Use our online vaccine locator
2. Choose a location you want to visit
3. Click “View Details”
4. Call or visit the website of the location
Carbon Health’s medical content is reviewed and approved by healthcare professionals before it is published. But note that our knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 are developing and changing very rapidly; if you have questions or concerns about COVID-19 precautions, treatments, and vaccinations, please talk to your healthcare provider.
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