When COVID-19 first began spreading around the globe,Denmark the world responded by locking down. The rules were clear: Do not see people you do not live with. Do not gather together in groups. Wear masks. Do not touch strangers, or acquaintances, or even loved ones.And of course: Do not hug.It left many of us lonely and starved for connection.
Then, vaccinations began rolling out, albeit slowly. By July 6, according to The New York Times, more than 3.29 billion vaccine doses have been administered across the world. But some countries — particularly those in North America and Europe — are much more highly vaccinated than others, including countries with lower incomes. In some areas in the U.S. with the highest vaccination rates, another new normal began springing up. Public health experts announced that, if everyone is vaccinated, you can reunite with your family, friends, loved ones, and, yes, even acquaintances. Videos of these reunions flooded our feeds, and gave us something pure and nice to look at! Here are some of our favorite reunions and hugs as the world began to open up thanks to COVID-19 vaccinations.
This video from KAPP-KVEW, a news station that covers the Tri-Cities of Washington state, of a three-year-old greeting his grandmother after months apart.
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This video of Twitter user Jenny Montgomery surprising a whole host of kiddos after 9 months apart.
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This clip from ABC News that shows a grandfather surprised by his grandkids in bed.
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After more than a year, this grandad got to see the grandson he calls "my man."
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A quick jump and hug from this grandson who finally got to hug his grandmother.
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This mother and daughter who were reunited after getting vaccinated in New Mexico. "It means a lot to me."
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This video, posted by 9 & 10 News, showing a man and his grandmother reunited in Brazil after more than a year apart because his family got vaccinated.
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Newsday reporter Chelsea Irizarry tweeted out this heartwarming video of an 80-year-old man who was finally able to hug his wife and sister from his nursing home after his family got vaccinated.
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While these joyous moments are just that — joyous — they should also be viewed with trepidation. In the U.S. and other nations with higher vaccination rates, this is possible. But in places like Africa and Oceana, where vaccinations aren't nearly as accessible, reunions aren't as festive. Vaccine hesitancy is on the rise in some communities even in the U.S., and the delta variant, which highly transmissible and dangerous, is becoming a dominant and powerful strain.
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