When will this be over? When will children be safe going back to school? When can we attend a concert again, go to church, hold a family wedding or even a funeral without having to limit attendance and space out the chairs? The answer is when a large majority of our population is no longer vulnerable to infection from the novel coronavirus and that, sadly, will not happen solely based on the spread of the disease. The antibodies Covid-19 leaves behind in a survivor only provide protection for a month or two. Our substantive hope is the development of a vaccine. The optimists among us are hoping for one before the end of the year. A more sober expectation is sometime in 2021 and, since there never has been a vaccine developed for any other coronavirus (or HIV, Herpes, or the common cold) victory in the rush to market a vaccine is anything but certain. And, like the flu shot, the first vaccines for Covid will probably only be partially effective for the next few years. Herd immunity is a year away at best and maybe much longer.
Sadly, however, about half of Americans polled on the subject have already decided that when a vaccine is available, they are not going to get it. I grieve for friends who own restaurants and bars, retail shops and hair salons. Will they survive the pandemic? How many of Springfield’s 300 churches will still exist next summer? Will they still be around when parishioners or customers do feel confident enough to return? Well, that depends on how long it takes to get to herd immunity, doesn’t it? And until 70 to 90% of our community has agreed to take the vaccine, our relatives will not be safe in nursing homes, our children will not be safe in our schools, and business owners will continue to watch themselves slowly headed for bankruptcy.
The conspiracy theories are already drawing sanity into question but given the fact that we have watched our entire nation, along with many major corporations, struggling with the decision of whether or not to wear masks, the decision to take the vaccine is going to be monumental. We have actually witnessed people trying to make an argument against the efficacy of wearing masks when nothing could be more obvious than, if you want to not spread a virus, stop spitting on each other! Honestly, they make Walmart look like Darwin’s Waiting Room.
Saying “no” to the only path to the finish line, to herd immunity, is a luxury of those who have a secure income, who have no fear of bankruptcy, homelessness, or who either have no children or who can homeschool their children, and who do not find themselves forced to place parents in a nursing home. Indulging in conspiracy theories or feeling powerful in a crunchy granola kind of way, announcing “I don’t believe in vaccines,” is a luxury that the whole of our society cannot afford. We need everyone to be vaccinated so that our children can receive an education, so that jobs return, and the economy can be restored.