This pandemic has been going on way too long, but there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. News about a potential vaccine being ready in the next few months gives me hope that we are going to be able to conquer this virus eventually. But if and when a vaccine is ready, who should get the vaccine first? To me the answer was made “painfully” obvious by something that happened to me recently.
I’ve been really good about following
the rules, wearing a mask, and social distancing for over 8 months now. Which means I don’t
go inside stores or restaurants, but I do occasionally drive thru somewhere to
grab lunch when I am out doing pole inspection work. Two weeks ago, I was really
hungry, so I drove through a Carl’s Jr to get a quick hamburger. Unfortunately,
when I bit down halfway through the sandwich, I hit something hard like a piece
of bone. I heard a loud crack and when I spit out the food, I also spit out
half of a tooth!
I pulled over immediately and called my dentist, Dr. James Kahal in Laguna Hills, to try to get in for an emergency visit. Dr. Kahal is the best dentist I know, and he made an appointment for me the very next morning, which was great because the pain in my tooth was really bad. However, I was nervous about going because it meant being inside a building in close quarters with other people. Fortunately, this dental office goes to great lengths to protect its patients. When I arrived, I was told to wait in my car in the parking lot and they would call me when the lobby was empty and the doctor was ready. I was in and out of that office in under 40 minutes, but while I was inside, the dentist and his assistant wore masks and face shields to protect me. It made their job harder, but it made my experience way better.
As I was leaving, it dawned on me what a jerk I am because I had only been worried about myself! I hadn’t once thought about how people like doctors, dentists and nurses are constantly exposed to people who are not wearing a mask, just in order to do their jobs. They don’t really have a choice - or maybe I should say - people who choose to be in the medical profession, make that choice because they have an overwhelming desire to help others. So God bless them!
And that got me thinking… It’s a no brainer! (Or should I say no painer!) People who risk their lives to protect us from pain in our lives (including front liners like doctors, nurses, dentists, police officers, firemen, etc.), are the ones that should be vaccinated first. Let’s make a plan to prevent their pandemic pain... instead of being a pain!
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