I’ve done a lot of reading in the last year and a half. Writing, not so much, but today and maybe here for bit, I might do some writing, mostly about what I’ve seen and experienced from the SARS-Cov2 pandemic. I suspect most everybody has one thing in common, in that, for whatever reason, this pandemic has produced hardship, loss, stress, grief, and generally made life more difficult.

We in these United States are currently experiencing a fourth wave of COVID-19 -19. I can’t believe how fast we went from our low numbers in June to our current numbers. What I read about infection numbers and hospitalizations nationally and what I see at the hospital where I work makes me believe that Delta truly is far more contagious than the strains we were seeing 12 or 18 months ago.

I think we are in trouble.

Something I’ve ran across pretty consistently while reading or talking to others are people searching for COVID-19 -19 preventatives or cures. Makes sense to me. COVID-19 is scary and very disruptive. Whether we catch it or not, it’s busily out there ruining our lives. Why wouldn’t we go looking for a miracle?

Hydroxychloroquine, Vitamin D, azythromycin, Ivermectin, monoclonal antibodies… The list goes on. Some of these have proven benefits, some have demonstrated risks, and some are being studied. Supportive oxygen, bi-pap, intubation and mechanical ventilation, ECMO, and so on are of assistance, but hardly qualify as miracles.

Honestly, the only miracle drug I’ve seen in all this are the vaccines. They do more than anything else to reduce the harms caused by COVID-19. If you are vaccinated and exposed, you probably won’t get infected. If you do get infected, you may have no symptoms and only know because you got tested. Should you feel icky, your symptoms will most likely be a lot less severe. You are much, much less likely to get seriously ill and need support from a hospital. If you do end up in the hospital, what we are seeing so far is that you are less likely than an unvaccinated person to need intensive care support.

The COVID-19 vaccines are our miracle. All the way down the line, nothing helps us reduce the harm of COVID-19 as much being vaccinated against it does. Pfizer’s Comirnaty received the FDA’s stamp of approval today. If you’ve been hesitant, please give it more thought, maybe talk to your doctor or other trusted health professional, and consider taking advantage of the protection vaccination offers.