As a community we have come so far together over the past two years. The COVID-19 pandemic brought hardships we never expected overwhelming our hospitals, hurting our local businesses, and heartbreakingly, taking many lives. But Salisbury stood strong. There are many positive signs that we are recovering as we are back to work and school, enjoying restaurants and gathering with our family and friends. We’re getting healthier.

Now we have the opportunity to take charge of our health in other ways. We all know about getting our annual flu shot and getting vaccinated against COVID-19 which is becoming routine. There are also other routine vaccinations we need as adults that can help protect us against serious illnesses such as shingles, pneumonia, and whooping cough. We don’t hear as much about these vaccines and you may not even realize you need them as an adult.

What are these other vaccines, and why do we need them now? In some cases, protection from immunizations we had as kids wears off over time so we need additional doses of some vaccines to stay protected. This is the case with illnesses we think of as “kids’ diseases” that can be even more serious in adults, such as measles and whooping cough. In other cases, like with the flu, the virus can change over time which is why we need a flu shot every year. Also, some vaccinations are now available to protect us from serious illnesses that weren’t around before such as the COVID-19 and shingles.

All of these vaccines are important to help protect us by increasing our ability to fight disease, and the vaccines are especially important for people with medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes due to the higher risk of developing severe complications. The vaccines help reduce that risk.

Why talk about this now? Because I don’t want us to lose the progress we’ve made as we emerge from these last two difficult years. So, I’ve joined mayors across the country in the Move with the MayorTM vaccine initiative with the goal of helping our community stay strong and healthy. Making sure we’ve all had our routine immunizations isn’t political as it is simply about strengthening ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. That’s why mayors from all across the U.S. are part of the initiative no matter if we are Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, from cities large and small, rural and urban.

It’s easy to find out which vaccines you may need, just ask your health care provider at your next visit as some vaccinations can be provided at the same visit.

I am up to date on my adult vaccines and I hope you’ll join me in this effort. Getting our adult immunizations is like a seatbelt for our immune systems: they are routine, they help protect us, and they are always there when we need them. When we’re protected, our community is stronger.

Karen Alexander is mayor of Salisbury.