Editorial
Monday is a unique moment in time in Australian history.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Since coronavirus hit us hard in 2020, it has dominated every facet of our lives. Our way of life way overturned in an instant.
Looking back with hindsight it's unbelievable to consider the extraordinary transformation that has come over the world since the global pandemic.
Read more: Countdown on for national vaccine rollout
International travel brought to a screaming halt. Things we once took for granted now seem a distant memory.
Going to a stadium concert, giving a friend a hug on greeting, coughing in public without fear of being lynched. All gone.
The past 12 months seem to have been littered with life-changing moment after life-changing moment.
Yet in Australia, another life-changing moment arrives with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Health care workers and residents at aged care facilities will be among the first people in the Illawarra to receive the dose of the vaccine as the national rollout begins.
Earlier this week NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced 35,000 frontline workers will receive the Pfizer vaccine first.
Got a news tip or story for us? Email cos@illawarramercury.com.au
While Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be among the first to get it, the NSW Premier will wait her turn.
The importance of our frontline workers getting the vaccine can not be overstated.
It helps protect against the need for the shutting down of communities, or in this case the state, to protect our health services. Those shutdowns come at such an epic cost to our communities.
After frontline workers, those in the highest risk categories, the elderly and the other healthcare workers will be next. The bulk of us will receive our dose in phase two of the rollout.
These are moments in history, moments in time, which will never be forgotten.
While it won't restore life to what it was before, it will make it safer to live more freely than we have in the last 12 months.
The sooner the better.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.