Celebrate news about the COVID-19 vaccine, but don’t let your guard down

With the COVID-19 vaccine approved by the FDA and already in its early stages of distribution, we all ought to be feeling grateful and optimistic. I certainly am because, as a cancer survivor, I am at a higher risk of having a negative impact from the virus. But, because of this, I also know that we must not let our guard down because of the positive news.

We owe it to the essential workers who can’t stay home and who have spent nearly a year in high-risk jobs. We owe it to the medical workers who have been on the front lines of this battle, and too often seen loss. And we owe it to the biopharmaceutical scientists and researchers who have made the vaccines that I hope will end this pandemic.

We owe it to them to keep wearing masks, to keep washing our hands, to keep maintaining our social distance and to keep following the guidance of our local health authorities.

We are so close to the end of this pandemic and a return to normalcy. Now is the time to redouble our efforts and do everything we can to keep ourselves, our loved ones and everyone we interact with as safe as possible.

Ashvin Lad, Lake View

Vaccine access and putting others first

I am over 65, but I’m in pretty robust health, and my finances are secure.

If I have to wait a little longer to take off my mask and hug my friends so the single mom on the next block, who can’t afford health insurance and who is struggling to feed her kids, can have access to the vaccine, then I’m ready to do so.

My turn will come soon enough.

David G. Whiteis, Humboldt Park

Greed and Donald Trump

I’ve seen recent stories about Donald Trump — whom the nation rejected in his bid for a second term — replacing the leadership at the Department of Defense and the Voice of America with loyalists; having contractors racing to build the border wall, despoiling wilderness areas in the process; and executing those sentenced to death for federal crimes at an accelerated rate, all before his term ends.

Trump’s behavior in his lame-duck period makes me wonder if he has any motivation other than a desire to perform social and political vandalism or vengeance — in this case, against the voters who rejected him.

I suppose that there is, since greed must be in there somewhere.

Curt Fredrikson, Mokena