It has been 5 long-awaited months since the first doses of COVID-19 were distributed in the country. The CDC and FDA first started their vaccination phases in the US by prioritizing the medical personnel and senior citizens living in communities of extremely high risk of contracting the fatal virus.
Even though the 2 biggest rideshare companies in the country were advocating for their drivers to be placed at the front lines of the vaccination schedule, the plan wasn’t successful. Unfortunately, drivers were not considered as essential workers just until the last few weeks of April 2021. During this time, the states announced that they were opening to the younger population and to different types of jobs that previously were not called “non-essential”.
Vaccine Tracker – How is it now?
In the US, 297,543,635 doses have been distributed so far, with 78% or 232,407,669 of the doses used. This means that at least 40% of the population have received at least 1 dose, all of that thanks to our heroic volunteers who have been working around the clock just to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible.
What’s Next After Vaccination?
The new CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people state that they will be now allowed to go outdoors even without wearing a face mask. However, in the rideshare industry, both major companies still require the use of facemask all the time for the drivers’ and passengers’ safety. Failing to do so as a driver can cost you a canceled trip or driver’s deactivation.
Now is the time to get your appointment for your vaccine! It’s very simple. Just go to www.myturn.ca.gov or www.cvs.com to schedule an appointment. You will just have to answer a few basic questions, choose a location, then select a date and time for your vaccination.
About the COVID-19 vaccines
- Currently, there are two types of vaccines that are available: mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) vaccine and viral vector (Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen) vaccine.
- All vaccines teach your body how to create antibodies to the spike protein unique to the COVID-19 virus so you are protected against infection.
- Two weeks after your last dose, you will be protected against serious illness caused by COVID-19.
Vaccine side effects
- Minor side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection.
- Common side effects may include pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle and joint pain, or chills and fever.
- The vaccine does not contain the virus so it cannot give you COVID-19
Conclusion
We are all in this together and getting the vaccine is a big step towards winning this fight against the virus. Pretty soon this will be over, and we will be able to enjoy the things we took for granted. See you on the streets safely soon!