The good news is that people are starting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The bad news is in the details: who goes first? where do I get the vaccine? what are the side effects? do I really need this? The two approved vaccines appear to be safe and effective. Several good references are:
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2020/covid-vaccines-what-you-need-to-know/
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html
From the FL Governor’s web page: Gov. DeSantis Distribution Plan (dated Dec 10)
From the FL Governor’s web page: Gov. DeSantis Moderna Dist Plan (dated Dec 16)
From the FL Dept of Health: Covid-19 Vaccine Summary (dated Dec 22)
To be immune to a disease one needs to develop antibodies after getting an infection or getting the vaccine. The total number of infections to date is hard to define, but 70% of the total US population of almost 331,000,000 would need to be immune before the incidence of new infections remains low.
Most people feel that vaccination (with no reported deaths) is preferable to COVID-19 infection (with many deaths). We encourage members at UUCJ to get the vaccine when it is available soon for them. We want to get back together as soon as possible.