Please get vaccinated for COVID-19. Please stop worrying who is doing what, or wearing a mask or not wearing a mask and get your vaccination. Please stop distracting yourselves with news that a virus is a political matter. It’s not, it’s the health and welfare of all of us. Let go of President Trump. He lied to us for a year about COVID and admitted it in public, on live television. He protected himself and did receive his vaccine in January of this year.
Today, children 12-15 years of age are eligible for the vaccine. The dose is the same, as with many vaccines, as it’s based on the development of the immune system rather than weight. Please don’t assume anything and call your pediatrician for more information and get your children vaccinated too. Avail yourselves of the correct information as up to date as possible, which is all there is right now. We don’t have all the answers, we are learning as we go. It is science.
President Biden is still wearing his mask as he encounters strangers all day long, especially while traveling. He is not a perfect president either but at least he is humane. Many of us are staying masked due to the fact many of you are not being vaccinated. There is no “mixed message.” There is one message — vaccinate for the benefit of all and stop, yes, stop now, concerning yourselves with only yourselves.
Members of the military can also turn down the vaccine at this time. We shall see how long that lasts. One cannot train and live in tight quarters with 30% unvaccinated. We learned that in 1918. It won’t work, it’ll spawn new variants and we’ll have our military sick and susceptible.
I will be asking, in places of business we frequent, if they are vaccinated. This is not a matter of one’s privacy lest you’ve made that mistake. Eventually, there will be, if not mandates from state government, individual businesses, colleges, etc. will enforce their own rules and they have a right to do that. We are in a state of emergency which prevents any mandates for states and cities or towns. It won’t last much longer. Your liberties you so enjoy and feel you are somehow losing by vaccinating will be removed. You may not be able to fly, send your child to school or college, go to work, go to your favorite place where owner may have an autoimmune disorder and doesn’t want you in their salon or dental office or small store without a vaccine. Schools will fall apart without all children being vaccinated. Private Schools were able to function this year due only to the fact that they could make and enforce mask and quarantine rules. This is not the regular flu. Far from it. School won’t work either without vaccinated parents, grand, etc.
Here is one final idea for the future. Those who refuse to vaccinate can continue to wear a mask to protect us from them. This will also ensure others can figure out if you’re safe to be around or are ill and don’t have any symptoms. This is one way COVID spreads. We, as a country, cannot beat COVID with 65% of us vaccinated. We can’t. We know that, for certain. Pick your future. I’ve chosen mine. I’m vaccinated. J and J. One and done and I’m not dead. I would do it again, today, for you.
Over 560,000 people have died. Not “just old people” or “just fat people,” people. Human beings with family and friends still upended from the horrible lonely loss. Often in debt with overwhelming medical bills. They never had the chance to visit daily, bring food and magazines and flowers, sit bedside in support and hold hands. This was different and the numbers are most likely higher than we know which is also quite typical during times such as this. It’s going to take some time to shake out to “actual” numbers of dead. Seventeen thousand have died in Massachusetts.
I don’t mind being, “that annoying Ellen Villani.” I’ll be asking you, point blank, “Have you been vaccinated?”
Ellen Villani is a resident of Greenfield.