Operation Vaccinate Fresno is well under way in the central San Joaquin Valley as it presents the only real way we are going to get the upper hand on this pandemic. This schedule was updated on March 1st. We are currently in Phase 1B of the rollout. The big date to circle on your schedule would be March 15th. That’s the day when the flood gates open people 16 years of age and up are eligible.

Don’t be fooled people, while there is a chance that a very few will have some sort of adverse or allergic reaction, it is safe to get vaccinated. Vaccines do not kill people, viruses do, and we all need to do our part and participate in building a wally of immunity to keep COVID-19 out of our lives and out of our economy. Vaccines do not cause autism, they don’t stunt growth, and they do not cause mental retardation. These are false and fearmongering tropes of religious and social conservatives.

We all have a social and moral responsibility to join together and fight this pandemic, protect our families, and restore order in the realm of public health. We have an obligation to protect the elderly, who are more vulnerable in this pandemic, our communities and our livelihoods. There is light at the end of the tunnel but we can’t take our foot off the gas now. Keep wearing your mask, keep socially distant, wash your hands frequently, and stay home as much as humanly possible.