I’ve talked to several people recently who are excited to have received the first dose of COVID vaccine. And I’m excited for them. Such a promise of the return to “real life” lifts the spirits, no doubt.

And the rest of us should be glad that the medical community has done a miraculous job of identifying and producing a number of vaccines, even if governmental efforts of getting the medicine into our collective arms has been – how shall we put it – somewhat less than effective, at least so far.

This is so much good news, of course! However, it doesn’t mean we can let down our guard just yet.

When our government does begin to function again, it will still take many months to vaccinate the 80% of people it will take to achieve herd immunity.

And then there are the effectiveness questions. As with any medication, these don’t work instantaneously.  A first dose of the Pfizer vaccine takes 21 days to become 50% effective. So you can’t get a shot one day and throw caution to the wind the next.

And the second shot, some 3 weeks later, takes yet another 21 days to achieve its full effectiveness, about 95% – which is, as I said, miraculous, but still leaves one with a 1-in-20 chance of having it not work.

And what does ‘working’ mean in terms of this vaccine?

At best, it doesn’t mean you can safely gather with large groups while taking no precautions. It means that if you are exposed to the virus, you have a 95% chance – not of not getting sick, but of having a milder case than you would have had.

And now statistics are showing that among those already vaccinated, reinfections are occurring at a rate of about 10%. So the vaccines are not a panacea; they will not take your risk of infection to zero.

And that’s about you. What about your ability to transmit the virus to others even after you’ve been vaccinated yourself? Just because you are protected somewhat doesn’t mean you can’t pick up the virus somewhere and then pass it along to others. It’s too bad, but we’re going to have to remain vigilant for the foreseeable future about who we come in contact with and how.

So, some good news, and some not-so-good news.

One glimmer of good news: the AV Team and I plan to begin live-streaming worship services on Sundays in early February. When that happens, you will be able to join us (virtually) for a live service at 10am each Sunday. Or you can view the recording of that service anytime over the next few weeks.

We can’t get together again quite yet, but in the meantime, stay safe. And get a vaccine when you can.

See you in church, not if, but when,