Eddie Rodriguez, President, Local 1549 

A friend of mine was very concerned about my health, so she made an appointment for me to get the COVID-19 vaccine. On Feb. 28, I got my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine and I took my second dose in March.

I have hypertension and I am pre-diabetic. Due to these health concerns, I decided to get the vaccine. I did it because of my age and because I love my family. Now that I have my COVID-19 vaccine card, I carry it as proudly as I do my union card. 

I had no reaction to the vaccine. I know people are afraid. We cannot control how our bodies will react to the vaccine, but the fact is that the coronavirus kills. Whatever reaction we have is certainly not as serious as the potential of being infected and becoming very sick and dying. If you love yourself and you love your family, you have to get the COVID vaccine. Don’t think because you’re young that you don’t need to be vaccinated. Young people get COVID-19, too.

We are living with so many restrictions brought on by this pandemic. It has not been easy. We have to be cautious. We have to follow CDC guidelines. Now that we have a new president in the White House, we have someone who cares because the other president did not.

We have a choice to take the vaccine or not, but I highly recommend that you take it so your family can be together again, and we can be with our friends and loved ones. I view being vaccinated as a public safety issue and a public health issue. The vaccine is a game changer that will have positive effects on our health and our lives.

As told to Diane S. Williams