Tell them, my song.

Covid-19 is an undeniable reality and it actually has killed people in my direct neighborhood and it also has killed friends, relatives and loved ones of people around me.

Even though I’m in Germany and a member of one of the risk groups, and even though I had registered for a vaccination as soon as I could, I had to wait quite a long time before I could receive a vaccine against Covid-19.

I also was not given an actual choice to pick the vaccine that I wanted. BioNTech would have been my first choice, mostly because I’m fascinated by the technology behind it, but also because it is the most effective of the available vaccines. However, had I instisted on receiving BioNTech, I would have had to wait several weeks (or even months) longer for my shot.

So I got “Janssen” by Johnson & Johnson in the end, which was relatively new in Germany and available. The undeniable advantage of the J&J vaccine is that only you need one shot and then you’re done. The possible downside is that it might not be as efficient as any of the others.

I got my dose 2.5 weeks ago and the only side-effect that I had was that I was suffering from a numb arm and hand for several hours. I was expecting a worse experience, but truth be told, it went just fine for me.

The ultimate benefit: For the first time in 1.5 years, I no longer suffer from the fear that any random contact with some other person could actually kill me. I might still get infected, but even then I still have some protection against the worst. It also significantly reduces the risk that I might unwillingly and unknowingly infect someone else.

The air has gotten breathable again.

If you have the chance to receive a vaccination against the Coronavirus, do yourself and the world a favor and take it.