Chapter Twenty-Eight: Vaxxed and More Relaxed

Tyler, after receiving his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine.

November 11, 2021

Dear Diary,

I just scheduled my nine-year-old for her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine and I could not be more grateful that within the next few weeks, every single member of my family will be immunized against this deadly virus, which has claimed the lives of 902 children in the United States, according to the CDC (as opposed to 0 who have died from the vaccine).

Tyler turned twelve three weeks ago and, as he had been telling people for months, all he wanted for his birthday was to get vaccinated. To be fair, as the date approached, his wishlist expanded to include gifts like a new phone and visa gift cards, but his desire to get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity never waned. So, we took him to our local CVS where he received both his first Pfizer dose and his annual flu shot at the same time. He complained of arm soreness for a couple days and was slightly fatigued, but these inconveniences pale in comparison to the relief that we feel now that he has some measure of protection. Indoor activities, like concerts and movies, which we have foregone for so long, we can soon resume again.

I honestly don’t understand the anti-vaxxers. I legitimately can’t fathom the mindset of a parent who would prefer to let themself or their kid go unprotected when there is a vaccine with FDA approval, which was obtained after thousands of people around the world participated in clinical trials, and which 6+ billion people globally have received without injury. I especially don’t understand the anti-vaxxer’s mindset when one considers that the rare side-effects of the vaccine are the exact same side-effects that one could sustain if they catch the virus in real life. Not to mention that myocarditis is statistically more likely to occur from contracting COVID-19 than from the vaccine. Like, what exactly are you protecting yourself from? 

I keep hearing people say that they want to wait in order to give the vaccine more time to establish its safety. But what if your kid contracts the virus in the meantime? What if your kid is one of the children who gets severely ill and requires hospitalization? What if your kid becomes one of the long-haulers, or develops multi system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C)? There are severe long-term ramifications to contracting COVID-19 that anti-vaxxers seem to ignore. 

And as with adults, there’s no predicting who will become so ill that they require ICU hospitalization. While it’s never a bad idea to maintain a healthy lifestyle, there simply is no amount of green juice, fresh air, exercise and sunshine that can 100% ensure your child’s safety. A third of the children hospitalized with COVID-19 were healthy.

I recently learned that Ben Franklin lost his 4 year old son in 1736 to small pox after choosing not to inoculate him. In his autobiography he wrote, “I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.”

Speaking of small pox, thanks to a global campaign led by the World Health Organization, it is the only human disease to have been eradicated by vaccination.  Which is why many Americans over the age of 50 still bear its signature round scar on their arm, but those of us born after 1972 don’t. One can only hope that with a concerted global effort, we can achieve the same result against the scourge of COVID-19, and the sooner the better.

Sincerely,

Maya

The New Governess