V-DAY

Today was like any other first day of a new year except today - Jan 1, 2021 - is the day I received the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is hard to remember a time when I did not fear death or disability from COVID-19, but today I feel a little more at ease. I do not plan to change my habits or behavior, but I will sleep more soundly knowing that preliminary results from the Pfizer vaccine trial show that the vaccine I received is 95% effective at preventing COVID-19.

Producing a vaccine for a new human pathogen using brand new technology in less than nine months is nothing short of a miracle. Indeed, as I sat in the lobby of Ford Auditorium at the University of Michigan and felt the needle plunge into my right arm, I was overcome with wonder and gratitude.

Arthur C. Clarke famously once said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." This was my first personal brush with the magic made by science that has the potential to save my life and prevent me from sickening those for whom I care or about whom I care.

I hope that everyone is able to receive their own piece of magic soon. Thank you to the RNA biologists, the virologists, the pharmaceutical companies, the patients who volunteered for the trials, the clinical research teams who conducted the trials, and to the healthcare facilities and workers for making distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine a reality. I am forever indebted to all of these magicians!