Twenty million COVID-19 vaccines were supposed to have been administered by the end of 2020

Vaccines alone will not stop the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, so for God’s sake let’s not poison the COVID-19 vaccines by backing off the practice of masking, hand sanitizing and maintaining social distancing when out in public or at the workplace. Staying at home as much as possible and keeping a small circle of family contacts are also crucial measures.

Fueled by post-holiday surges including New Year’s Eve get-togethers, the CDC projects the death toll may reach 400,000 by the end of January 2021 and an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projection indicates the death toll could reach nearly 600,000 deaths by April 2021.

Twenty million COVID-19 vaccines were supposed to have been administered by the end of 2020, but only 2.1 million citizens were vaccinated with the first of a two-dose vaccine. That combined with continued surges and a new strain of the virus that spreads faster are further hindering progress. Then there are some Americans from all walks of life who have reservations about taking the vaccine or have already decided against it.

When you consider that Americans make up roughly 4% of the global population, yet we make up roughly 20% of the global death toll due to complications of COVID-19, then we’re doing something horribly wrong given we have perhaps the greatest resources available. There’s a grim possibility that the America we had in January 2020 may not be the America awaiting us at the end of this pandemic in terms of social and economic vitality.

Unless we as Americans collectively step up for the months ahead, the vaccines however effective will not overcome the rate of infection. That’s not opinion or conjecture, it’s a mathematical certainty. There simply is no easy solution to this crisis that excludes personal sacrifice and commitment, nor is there a means to success that does not require resolute conviction.

Lastly, I leave this final thought for residents of the Coachella Valley, roughly 346,000 deaths would be comparable to the loss of life of every man, woman and child for the combined cities of Cathedral City (55,007), Palm Springs (48,518), Desert Hot Springs (28,878), Palm Desert (53,275), Thousand Palms (7,814), Bermuda Dunes (6,817), Indian Wells (5,470), Mecca (7,174), Indio (91,765) and Coachella (45,743).

Sources:

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington
CNN News
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Population Clock, www.worldometers.info

 

Image Sources

  • Covid-19 vaccine: Shutterstock