After over a year of suffering and stress, grief and isolation, hope has arrived through immunization. We’ve already seen the impact that vaccines can have on Covid-19 infections: as vaccination numbers go up, the rates of positivity, hospitalization and death have plummeted across the country.

 

The message is clear: vaccination works.

 

The Mayo Clinic states that vaccination helps keep people safe from getting Covid-19, and those who are vaccinated and contract Covid-19 are far less likely to become seriously ill. That means that vaccinated people can return to traveling and participating in activities they love, while reuniting with friends and loved ones. In most places, they can even take off the mask.  

 

If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, it’s important that you study up and learn the facts so that you can make an informed decision. Below, you’ll find a mini guide to how vaccines work, what’s available to you, and why you should consider getting a Covid vaccine in order to protect your family, your friends, your community—and yourself.

 

What is a vaccine?

A vaccine helps your body ward off illness. By placing a small portion of a germ, or something similar to the germ into the body, the immune system develops antibodies, which will be ready and waiting to fight off the actual disease, if you’re exposed to it.

 

What is the Covid-19 vaccine?

The Covid-19 vaccines available in the United States do not contain any active part of the Covid-19 virus. Each uses a protein found on the virus to stimulate the body to have an immune response and develop antibodies that will protect it from Covid-19 in the future. While some people may experience side effects from the vaccine, they cannot catch Covid from it.  

 

Where can I get vaccinated?

When they were first released, vaccines were hard to come by. But now you should be able to easily make an appointment with your doctor or local pharmacy.

 

Alabama Public Health also offers an excellent online resource about immunizations of all kinds, along with news about vaccine-preventable diseases.

 

Why should I get vaccinated?

Vaccination is safe, effective and free. If you look at the recent reports, nearly all of the recent deaths related to Covid-19 are people who are unvaccinated.

 

By building community immunity, we can quickly return to the normalcy we used to take for granted. Businesses can thrive. Families can reunite without worry. Our sense of safety and security can return. But it’ll take all of us to get there.