Disneyland, the “Happiest Place on Earth,” is closed until further notice. However, Disneyland the mega-vaccination site is very much open, except on days when high Santa Ana winds shut down this immunization tent city.
A compelling case can be made that the happiest place on earth these days is your neighborhood COVID vaccination clinic, where vaccinators are finding joy, jubilation and rejuvenation in the experience of giving shots to the tearfully grateful. Corie Robinson, a Kaiser nurse in the nation’s capital, told the Washington Post, “This is probably the most important thing I’ll ever do in my career… You can see their smiles through their masks.”
Happy stories abound. An 89-year-old Black woman receives the first vaccination of her life. A couple show up in their matching homemade vaccine t-shirts, get their shots and head off for celebratory margaritas. A nurse, who has held iPads so that dying patients can say goodbye to loved ones, calls a Colorado vaccination clinic “one of the top three days of my 16-year nursing career… I’m super-excited to be a part of something so positive.”
Another ray of hope is the greenlight granted to Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, going into arms as we speak. Wouldn’t it be nice, after a full year on this rocky road, to finally turn a corner onto a smoother highway?
This week’s Vaccine Project newsletter is 3,062 words long and will take you nine minutes to read.
The communications effort
It’s a circle of trust: We’re counting on trusted messengers to inspire vaccine confidence. And we’re hoping that the uncertain among us, once fully informed, will trust the science, the system and the messenger enough to roll up their sleeves. And tell a friend.
The takeaway: “Lead with empathy” is the new mantra.
The rollout
We celebrate! My wife got her first shot last week in Teaneck, epicenter of the early outbreak in north Jersey. I just got my own appointment for tomorrow. Good things come to those who wait, yes?
The takeaway: Meaningful metrics for the beginning of March: 20% of U.S. adults and more than 50% of folks over 65 have received at least one dose of vaccine. ‘M’ stands for Momentum. And possibly end of May–President Biden’s new target date for having enough vaccine supply for every adult.
The challenges
“We may be done with the virus, but clearly the virus is not done with us,” cautions CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. “People are tired and they want to get back to life, to normal, but we’re not there yet.” She adds that now is not the time to reopen by lifting public health restrictions. “At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained.”
The takeaway: We miss Alex Trebek. He could have efficiently handled the whole matter of vaccination Q&A (or A&Q) on Jeopardy! I’ll take “Side Effects” for $600, Alex.
The vaccine dashboard
The near horizon is brighter with the arrival of a third COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. Around the world, nine vaccines are in use, with more on the way. Confusing? We don’t seem to mind—or have noticed—that we have nine different flu vaccines in this country alone.
The takeaway: What we are looking for, in a suite of available vaccines, is an effective surge protector.
The resources
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Knowledge is when you learn something new every day.” With COVID, that’s not hard to do. Emerson also said, “Wisdom is when you let something go every day.” Yeah, we gotta work on that one.
The takeaway: Emerson, once more with feeling: “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
… and some songs
Ode to Joy, Andre Rieu and His Johann Strauss Orchestra
Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin), Sly and the Family Stone
Thank you for letting us into your screens and, we hope, your hearts and minds. Feedback is always welcome. Come back tomorrow for the Haymarket Media Coronavirus Briefing, a panoramic view of the pandemic from the redoubtable Mr. Dobrow.