Coming to the end ?

Well!!! Today, the members of the CDC's Advisory Council on Immunization Practice (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend Pfizer COVID vaccine in a lowered dose to children 5-11 years old. As a veteran pediatric nurse, I listened to the entire hearing and was ultimately more than satisfied with the outcome, and with the comments of the ACIP members. So many of us are PARENTS, as well as professionals in healthcare. We all worry that new (and sometimes older) technologies could turn out to be detrimental to the population we serve. Like so many of the professionals who offered comments, I, too, would have been first in line to have my own children vaccinated. Unfortunately, my grandchildren are all under 5, so will have to depend on others being vaccinated to help them stay safe.

I do, however, see light at the end of the tunnel now. Once the kiddos in my community are vaccinated, our overall vaccination rate will approach 90%. That being said, we're a tourist community, so we're seriously affected, at times, by visitors who don't have the same values. Nevertheless, parents of children attending our local schools are already relieved that their children will be able to go to school and engage in social activities without fear of having their children end up in the hospital ICU or with long-COVID.

I also see vaccination of children as a significant step in a return to normal -- or perhaps a new normal that is more cautious about safe health practices. I know that I will never again fly on a plane without a face mask. I suspect that it'll be a long time (if ever!) before I go into a large crowd (even the grocery store on Friday afternoons) without wearing my trusty mask. I have always washed my hands to the point of constant chapping, and will never stop that. I'm wondering, though, what this might mean for my immediate future...

Could this all be coming to at least a modified end? Is it possible that, at 67+ years of age, I might possibly retire -- the way I tried to do nearly four years ago??? Indeed, many refer to an end as also being a beginning. Can I give up my dedication to Public Health? Is that actually a requirement?? I could, in fact, return to my original retirement involvement of being involved more-or-less remotely in working to help sustain the work of our Public Health Family Planning Clinic. My children and my husband would be pleased... I'd have more time to devote to my art, to cooking, to traveling. Could it be???