For the first time in a year and a half, I laced up my soccer cleats and played in my regular pickup match in Cranmer Park on Thursday night. It was glorious and worth every ache I felt the next morning.
And it was possible because I finally reached full COVID-19 vaccination a few weeks ago.
I understand what Gov. Jared Polis and the state of Colorado intend to accomplish with the $5 million sweepstakes and $50,000 scholarships for people who get their coronavirus vaccinations. Not only do the giveaways appeal to individual’s self-interest, beyond the immediate protection provided by a vaccine, but they have also earned more in media coverage than it would have taken to buy the same level of advertisements. It is smart.
But hopefully as more Coloradans return to their pre-pandemic normal and participate in gatherings they would not have imagined for the past year; it will be the everyday benefits that will help draw out those still unvaccinated.
For example, my last two weeks have been a whirlwind of events I would not have been comfortable participating in before.
I received my second round of Pfizer vaccination on May 7. Three weeks later, just as I hit the mark for a completed vaccination course, I was headed up to Wyoming to see my godson graduate high school in Casper. That would have been something I would have considered skipping if it had occurred a few weeks earlier.
Read the rest of this column in The Colorado Sun.
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