A worker at a local pharmacy gave me a booster shot, further vaccinating me against COVID-19. It is worth reporting what he told me, just in case there is someone out there who has not yet made a final decision about it. Also, I would like to thank the heroes who are engaged in this, and other, work.

First of all, I had received my first vaccination, which was the Johnson & Johnson shot, back in March. It was the single-shot one — one and done, I had thought.

Discovering that another shot was recommended, and mix-and-match was OK, I made my way to Hermiston’s Rite Aid store. There, without any sort of appointment and a short line, I waited and got the jab. This one was Pfizer.

The man who gave me the shot was friendly and professional. In preparing it, he told me of his experiences since this awful pandemic began.

He has made his rounds, he said, serving the West Coast. He has had days where he vaccinated hundreds of people. More recently, he regularly gives around 20 or 30 shots each day. In total, he said, he has given thousands of shots during the pandemic; he is not sure of the exact number.

In all of the shots he has given, he has not had anyone report a major negative reaction, he said. There have been sore arms, and other minor reactions, but nothing that rivals the disease he was helping to fight.

COVID-19 remains worse than our vaccines, he said.

After receiving my latest shot from him, I thanked him for his service, and I left without any sort of feeling that would have diminished his perfect record. My arm did not ache, and I did not feel woozy. After getting my vaccination, I felt no different than before.

As I write this, I still am feeling fine. I know other people who have reported minor illness and aches following their vaccination, but I am not one of them.

If I were suffering as a result of a vaccination, I would write of my bad experience. And if I were hearing of terrible reactions, I would be sharing those too. I would even recommend for people to skip this vaccination.

Instead, I am healthy and happy, here recommending the shot and feeling grateful to the people vaccinating us.

The man who helped me at the pharmacy is one person of many who are the frontline of making us well, and their work does not seem easy. At pharmacies, fairs and drive-thru clinics, they come in contact with many people. They put their own health at risk for the purpose of helping others. Meanwhile, they maintain professional and warm demeanors. I have never seen one of them lose their cool.

And they are not alone in their heroics. Excellent people are now standing up where they are needed. Medical professionals have been among the most visible, and they are due credit, but there are more.

Government officials, teachers, cooks, gardeners, police and fire personnel, retail checkers, maintenance workers, librarians, business owners, lawyers and more are providing essential services.

Also, unpaid volunteers deserve praise for their work. Our food banks, hospitals and schools, just to name a few institutions, function on their labor, too.

This terrible pandemic has revealed the characters of many of us. When this depressing time is over, the people who proved their mettle should not be forgotten.