July of 2021, in the pandemic of the unvaccinated in the United States


It's July of 2021, and I'm writing this for you "in real time" about the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic here in the United States. And for people like me, who have long since been vaccinated, it's over, and it's been over for a long time. I'm no longer even the slightest bit uncomfortable walking into buildings without a mask, although I have to admit after a year of it, it was an adjustment.

I'm so proud of the hard-working people who made the vaccine possible, and my heart goes out to the healthcare workers who struggled for such a long time against what must have seemed like a battle that couldn't be won. I've been watching all of this very carefully and am now watching the second battle, trying to save the unvaccinated.

And my heart goes out to the healthcare workers who will still work hard to save people who chose not to be vaccinated. To me, getting the vaccine seemed like a very easy choice to make, like the first time I put on a seat belt, or bicycle helmet, or a thousand other things that people do to reduce their risk of ending up in the hospital.

Speaking for myself, I very much respect personal choices, as long as they don't impact someone else. I'd recommend against tight-rope walking across the Grand Canyon, but if you want to do it, and no one needs to try to rescue you, more power to you. You only live once!

But sadly, that's not how people die with COVID-19. They are put in hospitals, on ventilators, they don't just disappear. This puts a tremendous strain on healthcare systems, and at the risk of sounding selfish, I'd like for there to be a bed available for me at my local hospital if I need it.

If I could wave a magic wand right now, the pandemic would be over because everyone would be vaccinated, but it doesn't work that way. Someday we'll look back on this as history.

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