Sophie is 18 and about to graduate high school. She got her first shot of Pfizer at Portland International Airport (PDX). She will be fully vaccinated long before she heads for college to study film and cinema.  Sophia’s senior picture is at right.

What are your vaccine reasons?   

Vaccines are the best way to prepare your body to combat the virus and become immune. Vaccines are the best defense against whatever virus you might want to protect yourself from.    

 Since my mom is a nurse in the emergency room (ER) I felt it was best for me and people I might be around for me to be vaccinated and then I can keep myself and other people safer. I felt it was the least I could do to normalize the vaccine, get people used to having the vaccine for COVID-19. This might be something that we get every once in a while like a flu shot. I felt like this is a bare-minimum obligation as a citizen to protect others and yourself.   

If anybody is anxious about getting the shot, I just hope they know it’s really not bad at all. It doesn’t hurt anymore than any other shot. The chances of you dying from the vaccine are infinitesimal compared to the chances of you dying from COVID-19.   

 What is she looking forward to when fully vaccinated?   

I’m looking forward to taking a graduation road trip with some of my friends who are also fully vaccinated. It’s a last hurrah before we have to go off to college or whatever places that life might take us.   

Share your vaccine story with us by filling out our survey, either in English or Spanish, or by using the hashtags #MyVaccineReason or #MiVozMiVacuna when you share on your social media channels. As we learn more about when and where vaccinations are available, information will continue to be posted at covidvaccine.oregon.gov and vacunacovid.oregon.gov. 

This article first appeared in the May 25, 2021 issue of Oregon Coronavirus Update.