With the arrival of vaccines, a future without COVID-19 is within our reach. Many of us are looking forward to a time when we can hug loved ones again and leave our homes without fear. That future won’t materialize overnight; it will be an incremental process informed by science. With so many lives lost, so many still sick, it’s crucial that we stem the bleeding – that we do everything we can to stop just one more person from contracting COVID‑19.
In its early stages, the vaccine roll-out must ensure that the most vulnerable among us are protected. Similarly, frontline workers who are regularly exposed to the sick must be among the first to be immunized. Undoubtedly, this includes health care workers of all stripes – so many of whom put their personal safety at risk to keep our public health care system functioning throughout the pandemic. With better days in sight, what we need now are messages of strength, hope and perseverance; this is no time to pit Canadians against each other or to contrive ways to jump the queue.
All Canadians will have a chance to be vaccinated. There is a monumental global effort underway to increase the supply and distribution of this life-saving vaccine; we just need be patient.
