My Experience With the Corona Vaccine

I was not surprised when we received a number of responses expressing concern over a recent article in which I mentioned that my wife and I were scheduled to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We were warned about how dangerous vaccines are, why we shouldn’t worry because the pandemic is already over, and that by getting the vaccine we are submitting to a global conspiracy to control the world by Bill Gates and George Soros.

David gets jabbed.

In the end, we said our prayers, girded our loins (and biceps) and drove over to our local clinic in Zichron Yaacov to get the shot. The Arab nurse was delightful, and she tried to calm us down with banter about how we might finally be able meet together once the pandemic is over, though the politics are keeping us further apart than the virus.

We enjoyed meeting the other couples who had come to get their shots. The people we met were excited about the potential the vaccine has for getting us beyond the pandemic and ending the severe restrictions it has imposed. Through our masks we joked about the troubles we’re in and boasted about how Israel is leading the world in inoculation (that’s what we are told anyway).

This was certainly not the typical “mind your own business” silent waiting for your turn and complaining at the clinic visit. It was nice to see that even a little hope can go a long way toward getting us unstuck from the spiraling despondency that has plagued us for a year already. Hope brings us together as we look forward to better days.

Allow me to report that we both feel fine after the shot. We show no signs of any side effects, other than the fact that our spirits have been lifted. We have become so accustomed to wearing masks and keeping distance from family and friends that just the thought that we may soon be able to come together again is thrilling. Which makes me wonder why that isn’t true all the time?

We did spend quite a bit of time researching to understand how the vaccine works and why we should get one before we went. We found this video very helpful.

I am not suggesting that anyone follow our example, I only offer this as a look at our own experience here in Israel. The hope that the vaccine could protect us personally, and maybe get our country out of this horrible situation, was a game-changer for us.

May God give each one of you the wisdom to make your decision and may our peoples and nations come together to find a way forward back into the future.