When it was announced that a successful Covid-19 vaccine had been made at the end of 2020, everyone could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Now, in early April 2021, frustration has been increasing among Canadians at the slow vaccine rollout and the truth that Canada still has a long way to go before finally beating down the coronavirus pandemic.

Throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2020, people had come to terms with the fact that for the time being, there was no end in sight. For that time, a taming effect called the war narrative was what helped hold social order. The narrative emphasized that we all had a common enemy, which was the virus. It helped us support workers on the front lines and make necessary personal sacrifices for the greater good. The war part of this narrative is a problem, but it helped to draw people together.

With the introduction of the vaccine, and the rollout beginning, this narrative has shifted into a race, which has uprooted much of the sense of group effort. Many find it frustrating to watch months slowly go by with no major changes, particularly because they are imagining their life on the other side, which is now just out of reach. Canada has been watching as countries that previously had massive struggles with the pandemic, such as England and the United States, accelerate far ahead on the road to herd immunity. Vaccination has turned into a race between different countries, to see who finishes first and can resume international travel and business, and who finishes last.

Currently, the federal government has committed to get every Canadian who wants to be vaccinated by the end of September, 2021. From where we are now, it is a distant finish line, but at least now we have one. For the time being, instead of focusing on making it to the finish, asking yourself “Can I keep going?” is a more effective way of alleviating the finish line anxiety.