The resumption of baseball at The Diamond on May 4 — be it at limited capacity — came after 610 days without the Richmond Flying Squirrels ever taking the field.

For Parnell, the COVID-19 shot matters because it means putting into play priorities people have been forced to reassess over the course of the pandemic.

“You saw families working in their yard together, taking walks around the neighborhood. You saw all kinds of things that should have been happening anyway, but weren't,” Parnell said. “Now what might seem like an average day in my life is now a really special day.

“The things that we've learned from COVID are things we need to carry on in our life after COVID — having dinners at home, or not feeling like I have to be at the ballpark 20 hours a day,” he said. “When we go back to the normal everyday rush of life, we’ve got to make sure that the things the pandemic taught us are things we take forward.”

To get vaccinated, go to vaccinate.virginia.gov. To read more stories like this, visit vcuhealth.org/thisshotmatters.