Moderna Covid-19 vaccines at a drive-through vaccination clinic in Round Rock, Texas, Jan. 21.

Moderna Covid-19 vaccines at a drive-through vaccination clinic in Round Rock, Texas, Jan. 21.

Photo: Bob Daemmrich/Zuma Press

The noise hasn’t stopped in a year and a half. Since March 2020, our TV screens and social-media feeds have been dominated by pundits and politicians telling us how to behave during the pandemic. The noise is so loud it has muffled the voices of ordinary Americans whose lives have been forever shaped by the virus.

Covid-19 has had a profound impact on my life. I lost my husband, Luke, on Dec. 29, five days before he was set to be sworn in to Congress. I want to share our story in hope that it will encourage unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated before it’s too late.

When Luke was in the hospital, he told me numerous times that he wanted to help people understand the seriousness of the virus. He knew that misinformation was running rampant, and he wanted to hold a press conference in his hospital room to share his experience with others. Sadly, he succumbed to the virus before he could tell that story.

It was horrific to watch the person I love most have to gasp for every breath to stay alive. Seeing the color and life slowly drain from the body of my otherwise perfectly healthy husband was the most painful thing I have ever endured. It is an experience I wouldn’t wish on anybody.

Luke died two weeks before Moderna’s vaccine became available to the public. He was 41. I would have given everything to get him that lifesaving shot. Before he contracted Covid, we often prayed together for the vaccine, hoping that it would bring relief to our family and so many others. I know that he was ready to get vaccinated and would have encouraged his friends, family members and constituents to follow suit.

With a major surge in cases following the rise of the Delta variant, it’s clear that we’re still fighting a brutal war against a silent killer. In my home state of Louisiana, we’ve had nearly 22,202 new cases, 1,620 hospitalizations, and 74 deaths in the past week alone. But thanks to the work of so many, we miraculously have safe and effective vaccines widely available at local clinics, pharmacies and even supermarkets. My prayer is that not one more person dies from this horrific virus.

After I lost Luke, countless people who had also lost loved ones reached out to share their similarly tragic experiences. If you need a number to understand the magnitude of this pandemic, think about this: Tonight, more than 1.5 million children around the world, including my own, will go to bed in a home where they have lost at least one parent or secondary caregiver to Covid-19.

As I’ve seen the numbers rise in the past few weeks, I keep reflecting on how powerful a story like Luke’s can be. This past week, I introduced the Covid-19 American History Project Act, which would create a place in the Library of Congress where we can collect the stories of Covid-19 survivors, the families and children who have been left behind, and frontline healthcare workers, the real heroes of this pandemic. I want these stories of loss to shape and inform your decision to get the vaccine.

As we begin to heal as a nation collectively, please join me in finding inspiration through others by listening to their stories of strength, hope and courage in the face of Covid-19.

Ms. Letlow, a Republican, represents Louisiana’s Fifth Congressional District.

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