The District of Columbia unveiled a graphic alongside its announcements that vaccine centers will transition from appointment-only to walk-up next month, and that it loosened some pandemic-related restrictions on restaurants. The graphic encourages people to get vaccinated, an excellent goal in line with promoting public health. But it kind of looks like DC wants you to do, uh, something else with your body.
The “o” in the logo has been replaced by a representation of the coronavirus similar to the one CDC illustrators unleashed last year to explain how the virus attaches itself to cells so easily—those spike proteins attach to humans’ cells, while other proteins deliver its deadly payload. The vaccines teach your body how to fight off the virus. That medical miracle may not be immediately apparent to anyone who sees this graphic.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
