The moment we have been waiting for since March is finally here, the Covid-19 vaccine is coming. Not only is there a vaccine made, but health officials in NYC are also saying they are getting their first shipment of the vaccine on December 15. The 27 most affected neighborhoods in the city will get the vaccine first. It will be distributed to those who need it most first, and within three of four months, everyone will have access to it. According to CBS News, “The priority for vaccinations will be high-risk healthcare workers, and nursing home workers and residents.” Hopefully, with the vaccines getting mass-produced and put out, we might get to have a normal summer.

Like with any kind of new vaccine, there are many who are skeptical to receive the shots due to the overall lack of information about how the vaccine will affect people’s overall health down the line. Throughout history, vaccines have always been safe, with a few infamous mishaps here and there, like the Thalidomide scandal in the 1950s-60s, which led to 10,000 babies born with birth defects. Reluctance to receive the vaccine is a major concern between health officials right now. It is problematic because these people’s refusal to receive a vaccine will inhibit the country from fully reopening. Luckily, the CDC, FDA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other health organizations all are separately tracking the side effects and safety of the vaccine. These safety assessments will hopefully help curb the hesitancy and skepticism a large amount of the public is feeling right now.

The UK has just begun preparing to administer the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine; they will start with the vaccine before the U.S. The UK has said that they will have put out 800,000 vaccine doses by this upcoming week, which when considering their whole population, is a great number. The UK’s results will help give us a clear picture of what we can expect in these upcoming weeks.

For me and many others, the news of the Covid-19 vaccine was a breath of fresh air after the crazy last few months. This vaccine brings so much hope for the future, for things to go back to normal, but we must keep in mind that no matter what, this will be a process. Once the vaccine starts to be administered here does not mean that masks and regulations are going to disappear. Our road back to normalcy will be a long one, and patience is going to be a key virtue throughout it. For now, though, keep your heads up and those masks on so we can say goodbye to Covid-19 for good.