When hearing that schools would be returning to in-person classes in the Fall, I immediately worried for the safety of me, my family, and others around me. Though the mask mandate is still in place, many people are refusing to wear them, still believing them to be helpless. Cases have been going back up, which translates as “We’ve been wearing masks this whole time and covid is still here, therefore, masks are useless and I don’t need to wear one.” to those who believe the mandate is optional. Vaccines are out, and while many rushed to get them as soon as possible, a large percentage of the country protest against them. “It’s a hoax”, “The vaccine isn’t safe!”, “I’m not putting that in my body” despite that the vaccine has been deemed safe and effective. While the vaccine does not fully prevent the chances of an individual catching covid, it has proven to lessen the effects and prevent hospitalization. These “covid hoax” are comments I frequently see posted all over social media, discussion boards, etc. Sometimes, it’s difficult for me to comprehend how people even come up with these, it seems like they are making up fake information and spreading it online to influence in the opposite direction, toward the danger that a further outbreak could cause. Recently, I have begun to participate in these discussions, letting people know just how important it is to go out and get vaccinated, but even after that to continue wearing your mask. Not only for your safety but for the young children who cannot get vaccinated and are put at greater risk. “Life needs to go back to normal at some point” was the most recent comment I read, and I agree, but the only way to do that is to get vaccinated. 

As this thing known as a pandemic now known as Covid-19 started, it led to many changes in society as well for people’s lives. People began to live with fear, death rates increase rapidly, it was the year where many people had to be alone in a room just by themselves to prevent getting covid. Schools shut down, theaters, movies, places that were to socialize and spend time with family were all just closed down. People had no other place to go but just home, you turn on your television, and there it was the pandemic news. To inform the city that rates are increasing and that it was just getting worse and worse, that was the life of a person living in the year of the pandemic. Scientists looking for a way to stop the spread and prevent less deaths, which took them at least a year to come together and figure out a way to keep people safe.

We enter the new year and it was all over the place, vaccinations. But there were people and still till today people believe that the vaccine has no benefit. But each person has the right to make their decision on being vaccinated or not but it just caught my eye how many people started to get vaccinated trying to keep society safe. But not only that also on how many people just decided to live without a vaccination because of their beliefs but there were other ways to stay safe like keeping distance, and like wearing a face mask.

Students did not get much of learning, people lost their jobs as well family members. I believe if society agrees to one thing there would be a way to go back to once what we called reality. It just caught my attention and how all this all just started and in one single eye of a blink everything shut down losing opportunities. But with vaccination, it might help us and live our normal lives and be safe.