Back during the darkest days of the COVID pandemic, all we could hope for was the development of a vaccine.
Plenty of folks around Franklinton expressed the wish that a vaccine could be found, and fast.
Once vaccines were approved, shots became available in January of this year. While initially the vaccine was limited, it wasn’t long before plenty was available. It was free and there were lots of places to get a shot.
We rejoiced, believing that an answer to the COVID crisis was here, and that before long it would be over.
Never in our wildest dreams did it occur to us that only a third of Louisiana’s residents would take advantage of the vaccine. Or that less than a third of Washington Parish’s residents would do so. It was beyond belief that anyone would pass up the opportunity for the protection offered by vaccination.
But the bad dream turned out to be the reality......66% of Louisiana residents have not received the vaccine. 70% of Washington Parish residents have not received it.
With that many unvaccinated people running around, is it any surprise that when the strongly contagious Delta variant of Coronavirus arrived many folks became ill?
We are headed back to the dark days of the pandemic, unless those unvaccinated residents of Louisiana quickly get their shots. Mask mandates, social distancing, all of that and more. Who wants it?
There are multiple excuses being offered for refusal to get vaccinated. But there is no worthy excuse for endangering yourself, your family, and your friends.
One of the most repeated excuses we’ve heard is that it is inconvenient. That’s false. There are numerous places for a fast and free vaccination shot here in Washington Parish and across the Northshore.
To those who think they have somehow been advised by political leaders not to get a shot, think again. Among those receiving the vaccine are President Biden and former Presidents Trump, Obama, Bush, and Clinton. Pope Francis has received his vaccine shot.
Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for your friends, and do it to prevent a return to the dark days of the pandemic. Get your shot, and get it quickly.
