ST. LOUIS — In February, Toni Cousins' husband got vaccinated against COVID-19.
Five months later, the deadly virus and the highly transmissible delta variant have rapidly picked up. That was enough for the St. Louis mom to roll up her sleeve and get a vaccine.
"It really wasn't about me, but more about the community. Being engaged in the community the way that I am, I didn't want to jeopardize anybody that I'm around," said Toni Cousins.
The couple's 13-year-old daughter told her mom and dad she was afraid to go back to school.
Addison got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine last week.
"I wanted to get the shot because I wanted to protect myself and I also wanted to protect other people. I'm so glad I did it. I feel a lot better," Addison said.
In their effort to "protect other people," the family is also now wearing their masks everywhere they go.
The Cousins' 18-year-old son heads back to college in a few weeks. He too had growing COVID concerns and that's why he also got a vaccine.
"Get the vaccine, so we can all go back to a normal life," said Ryan Cousins, Jr.
"I would encourage more people to get vaccinated right now because this delta variant is just so bad in our area," said Toni Cousins.