Welcome to Vaccine Diaries! Residents and staff at Springhouse Senior Living received their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on January 21, 2021—a date we will remember forever—at a clinic in a room full of balloons, music and celebration although not quite the celebration we are used to. The occasion is celebratory worthy, it is historic but also bittersweet. The simple fact of being one of the first to be vaccinated for a new disease feels special. We have a feeling of relief; we want to celebrate.
We know that having the vaccine will not immediately change anything we do. We will continue to wear masks, continue to sanitize our hands and observe social distance. But the one thing we have now is HOPE. Hope that we feel more confident that we won’t get sick from COVID, or worse, die from it. That means a lot. Hope that life will soon return to the way it was before this dreadful virus took control of our lives.
What the vaccine has given us is renewed faith in the potential of science to help save us. Finally, there is a way out of the pandemic we can believe in; a vaccine.
Let us remember that America has recently seen record high numbers of hospitalizations, with deaths continuing to climb. The numbers in our area will not fall simply because our staff and our residents are vaccinated, since we are not a significant source of spread. It will be months before the general public has access to doses. And of course, no one can mark themselves safe from the pandemic yet, either, since so-called herd immunity is still far from mission accomplished.
We are, however, counting on everyone to be vaccinated as soon as you possibly can. We miss everyone! And look forward to visiting our families and hugging our friends.
Why did our residents get their vaccine? Let them tell you…
• This shot is so I can see my family again
• This shot is so I can enjoy family dinners
• This shot is to set an example that it is safe
• This shot is so I can celebrate birthdays and holidays again
• This shot is so I can get to visit Fenway Park again
• This shot is to show support for each other
• This shot is so that I can give and receive the biggest of hugs that I miss so much!
• This shot is to gain peace of mind
• This shot is because I believe in science and the hope that this vaccine brings us to getting back to “normal”
• This shot is for better days ahead
• This shot is to show my grandchildren how we persevere through it all
• This is shot is so I can wear lipstick again.
Click on the video below to see residents and staff (plus a special guest) during the Springhouse Senior Living Vaccination Day! Until the next vaccine diaries…
