Dr. Marc Siegel: Get the shot. Wear a mask. Don't get sick and die because you're stubborn.
When it comes to masks, and even more so for vaccines, the benefits are real and the risks or downsides are small.
The slippery slope of the COVID public health response has gotten even more slippery with the predominance of the highly contagious delta variant.
The game has changed, and now, it is becoming more apparent that beyond six months the powerful MRNA vaccines are slipping, and boosters are needed, especially among the elderly, the immuno-compromised, those with chronic illnesses, and workers on the front lines who are frequently exposed to COVID.
Soon we will all need boosters. But the need for boosters should not undermine confidence in the vaccine, but simply underline its limitations in the face of real world contact with a highly infectious variant.
The virus itself, which can cause complications and long-term damage to every organ system of the body, provides more than enough motivation to take not only the initial two shots, but also the booster.