Y'know, I lost two family members to COVID, in less than a month, just before the vaccine rollouts.

One of them was my father in law. He had just retired. He got sick around Easter, suffered for a few weeks in the hospital, then they put him on a ventilator, and then he was gone.

Our last conversation was over Zoom, right before the ventilator. A nurse held an iPad in front of his face for him, because he didn't have the strength to hold it himself. His normally booming baritone was reduced to a fragile wisp. He said wanted us to be there when he woke up. We promised him we would be.

He died 2 weeks before his vaccination appointment.

We're days away from the five-year anniversary of his death. The grief remains.

My wife didn't deserve to have to go alone to see him at the end, in full protective gear, unable to even hold his hand without a glove on. My daughter didn't deserve to be robbed of her favorite person before she was old enough to build lasting memories of him.

Were it not for some random person walking around with a mask under their chin, he would still be with us.

And there are millions with the same story. Millions.

I'm not mad at you, but respectfully, friend, your rage is directed at the wrong machine.