Opinion: Positive vaccine updates don’t mean we are out of the woods yet

While Pfizer Inc. states the COVID-19 vaccine is said to be 90% effective, pharmaceutical company Moderna also published preliminary results claiming 94.5% efficacy of their vaccine against COVID-19. Moderna’s vaccine does not require minus 70-degree Celsius for storage, thus, it can be stored and moved in a more affordable way.

With this news definitely being worth celebrating, it is not the time to take COVID lightly, but time to buckle down and wait for the vaccine. The virus has already killed over 1.3 million people globally, and cases are still continuing to rise. While the feeling of living alongside COVID is still there, we must also get through flu season and winter without getting sick. Once we get through the flu season and winter with a low infection rate, we will be able to get rid of the virus once the vaccine becomes available.

Yes, having to buckle down and not being able to see family has been truly upsetting, and we’ve missed out on making memories we could have made, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, especially after hearing that the vaccine is expected to be 90% effective. All the sacrifices we have made in the past nine months have been weighing heavily, mentally and physically. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, it is hard to think we still won’t be able to see extended family and celebrate the coming holidays with them like normal.

Still, we should continue to follow CDC guidelines, especially during the upcoming holidays – resume the practice of social distancing and wearing a mask in public, or if around at-risk people indoors. All of these sacrifices we made, and are going to continue making, will be worth it now that we know we could be closer to preventing the contraction of it. 

It’s hard to convince people to continue taking these precautions when nothing yet has changed, but we have to start thinking of ourselves and our families when we take risks regarding COVID. The news of a possible vaccine very well gives us something to look forward to in quarantine, but if we believe this vaccine is around the corner, we should continue to remain vigilant of possible infection.