A Year That Made a Difference

A year ago this month there was a 21st Century Call-To-Arms.

The first COVID-19 vaccine in the United States was administered to a New York nurse on Long Island.

Hopes were answered as breakthrough COVID-19 vaccines passed vigorous Food and Drug Administration review and were approved for public use.

Since then, more than 234 million Americans have answered the call to protect the health of the nation and their families by getting vaccinated, and many are putting their trust in science by getting their children vaccinated.

These were not simply people passively receiving a shot, they were enthusiastic and dedicated citizens joining forces with thousands of scientists, researchers, manufacturers, health care professionals, first responders, and public leaders in a united effort to fight against COVID-19. Indeed, a movement in every sense of the word.

Only through knowledge accumulated over decades, innovative thinking, and the relentless hard work and fortitude by so many in every corner of the world, linked together by a common goal and purpose, did humanity create a formidable defense to a formidable foe.

While success often has many bedfellows, the truth is every person who received a vaccine shot are the reason we have come so far in one year.

Millions of people with billions of doses validated the science, the integrity and effort of our scientists, public health professionals, industry and public leaders.  The decisions and discoveries made throughout generations of hard, painstaking discovery were brought to life one arm at a time.

While the challenges of COVID-19 continue, let us resolve ourselves to remember the vaccinated citizen leaders across the country and the globe, who embraced, declared, affirmed and led us with the hard wrought science at hand.

Let us thank the decades of effort across our scientific and pharmaceutical community that researched and created the tools and built the medical infrastructure that enabled us to meet the challenge of COVID-19 today. 

Let us take a pause to remember those who were lost to this deadly virus. Let us also reflect upon all we have gone through as a country, as a community, and a family, and honor the perseverance and strength of the people of the United States.  We are all in this together.

So much has been accomplished, but we still have more work to do. 29 percent of Americans have still yet to receive their vaccine, whether due to lack of understanding or by doubt amplified by those who fear science and the integrity of the work and leadership so many do.

Just as so many Americans answered the call to arms, we must continue to fight myth with fact and do all that we can to encourage our fellow citizens to take the steps to protect themselves, their families and their communities. Let us join together, as citizen leaders creating the possibility of our future together, millions strong, reflecting the true fortitude and integrity of the American spirit.

Sally Greenberg is the Executive Director of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, nonprofit advocacy organization that aims to promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.