“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Benjamin Franklin 

   A quote that is relatable today with the distribution of the new COVID-19 vaccines. Monica Carrasco is a teacher at Pembroke Pines Charter that finds comfort and a reason behind this quote. She’s one of the many teachers at the school to have taken the vaccine and explained her outlook and experience with it.

   Mrs. Carrasco feels the vaccine is helpful and not really what other people think. She explained, “They’re injecting a virus into you that contains messenger RNA that basically reinforces your immune system to detect the corona virus and protect against it.” Her experience with it consisted of the typical side effects of the vaccine. Her symptoms included “a sore arm and tiredness,” and more importantly, she stated, “psychologically speaking, it gave me a peace of mind.” Mrs. Carrasco felt as if she was one step closer to being safe herself and keeping those around her protected. 

   She recommends for everyone to get the vaccine, including her students, because if you were to be infected “everyone’s different and some people recover, while others don’t.” Mrs. Carrasco doesn’t see the fear behind the vaccine because “we’ve all been vaccinated throughout our lives. Our children have too. It’s just one more vaccine to save others and be on the safe side.” She feels it’s important to prevent the virus in any way possible.

   There’s no set cure for corona, nor a foolproof guide to stop the spread fully, but as the quote Mrs. Carrasco stated, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s best to stop and do what we can with problems initially, then fix it at the end. Who knows what COVID-19 will look like a year from now.