Let’s face it, just about everyone has gotten tired of these masks. However, the only way that it is safe to go without a mask would be if everyone were to be vaccinated. Luckily, the vaccine age has been updated, meaning that anyone now over the age of 12 can get the vaccine.

As of May 14th of this year, the CDC has approved the Pfizer vaccine for everyone ages 12 and up. So far, there have been no harmful repercussions or side effects to the vaccine, meaning it is completely safe to go and get vaccinated. Because only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved, if you’re going to take someone who is between the ages of 12 and 16 to get vaccinated you need to make sure the place you’re taking them offers that vaccine.

That being said, there’s plenty of places in the Tri-Town area that offer the Pfizer vaccine. All you have to do is just look up locations like Safeway, Walgreens, or even look up local areas on a site called vaccines.gov to find where you can get vaccinated.

By getting vaccinated, you can avoid the risk of mask anxiety, which is the fear of how well your mask works when protecting you against COVID-19. Wearing a mask can be scary, and though there are certain places that will require you to wear a mask, you do not have to wear a mask if you are fully vaccinated. This does not mean you can ignore the requests of small businesses or restaurants that require you to wear a mask, you still have to follow their requests.

Though times are rough, steps are being taken for it to all get better. By working together as a community and getting vaccinated, we can slowly return to something similar to the ‘normal’ that we had before the pandemic, and finally lay the masks to rest. In the meantime, we need to be patient and follow the CDC recommended guidelines.