Tuesday 23 rd March 2021....thoughtful writing!,

I’m like this article written by one of the amazing team of volunteers who have taken it upon themselves to help all citizens of this town!!

Jessica Frick-Liston

Covid-19 SMA

8h  · 

English/Español

Vaccines and the Marathon: Please do not take this responsibility lightly

It was an exciting and emotional weekend in San Miguel, and according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Health, from March 19-21, approximately 14,431 doses were applied to sectors across the city. 

I think about these numbers and that every one of these shots represents a person with a family and people who care about them and people who have been worried about them. 

I worked in a pediatric ICU and we often gave vaccines as our kids were leaving the unit, and they almost all cried. For us as adults, vaccines have become routine and certainly an event without tears. 

I think that changed this weekend when so many received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As we stared at the small glass vial holding the promise of hope, so many of us became overwhelmed with emotions. In that moment, we thought of the past 12 months. 

We thought of the Wuhan physician who tried to warn the world of a SARS-like virus , and who later died from this infection. 

We thought of the horrible images and reports from Italy and France and NY last February and March, where intensive care units were overwhelmed, ventilators were rationed, and parking lots became morgues.

We thought of the abandoned streets of our beloved San Miguel usually bustling with life and tourists and celebrations. 

We thought of the frantic calls from family members and friends and people whom we haven’t seen in years, looking for advice or comfort or hope. 

We thought of the people who have been away from loved ones and who have lost loved ones — unable to embrace them in times of happiness and in times of grief.

And we thought of the more than 200 lives in SMA, 10,000 in Guanajuato, 200,000 in Mexico, and the 2.73 million people worldwide who have died from this infection — many of whom without family by their sides. 

And for the first time since we were children, we cried when we received a vaccination.

We cried because we are overwhelmed by grief, but we also cried because of hope and the enormity of the moment. 

In under a year, scientists developed not just one, but multiple vaccines against a virus that was previously unknown. They collaborated across the globe with a single unified vision — defeat the virus. And with the help of brave people who volunteered for clinical trials, they did it. They developed vaccines that are safe and effective and hold to the hope that will allow us to return to some semblance of normalcy. 

So yes…..it was a moment of many emotions. But what are we to do with such a moment in which both grief and hope pull at us? 

Much like the final miles of a marathon, which are both the most painful and difficult and also the most rewarding and inspiring, we have to push toward the finish line. We have an opportunity to turn our pain and grief into success for humankind.

We are privileged to have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Please do not take this responsibility lightly. WE need to keep working, both to stop the virus from spreading and to eradicate it, despite the pain and discomfort. 

I will continue to wear my mask and limit my socializing and care for others. I hope you - my fellow human beings — will join me

Stay safe and healthy!!

Yashi Kochi!!