'Hot Vax Summer' Is Coming, Because We All Deserve Human Touch After 2020

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout ramps up, it seems singles and couples alike are ready to get it on this summer

If social isolation during the coronavirus pandemic sucked every last drop of your sex drive over the past year, you’re far from alone. Adults both partnered and single reported little desire to get it on, whether due to a lack of dating options in quarantine or increased stress thanks to trying to manage work, family, and everything else on top of, you know, worrying about you and your loved ones contracting a deadly virus — but it seems the tides, they are a-changin’, because “hot vax summer” is upon us.

According to Insider, summer 2021 is about to be “hot vax summer,” because after the year we’ve all had, we deserve to bring back the spirit of Megan Thee Stallion’s 2019 warm-weather anthem — yep, you guessed it — “Hot Girl Summer.” It seems that we’re all ready to embody the spirit of Megan and step up our “real hot girl shit,” thanks to the long-awaited arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine.

It seems we’re all ready to abandon Zoom and socially distanced meet-ups in favor of mingling, flirting, and actual human touch. Though the sex toy industry skyrocketed during the pandemic (to the tune of a whopping a 30% to 100% increase in sales of bedside goodies in the early days of lockdown), meeting up in person was, in most cases, unsafe or unattainable for those looking for romance before the vaccine rollout. And for those with a partner in their quarantine bubble, it’s hardly surprising that being stuck in the same space for months on end while dealing with ~gestures broadly~ means you weren’t quite dying to get down with your other half.

Several people told Insider about their post-vaccine dating plans, from casual sex to enjoying actual dates and feeling more comfortable to get back in the dating pool. “I’m most looking forward to having a ho phase,” shared a 21-year-old Chicago resident. “In my dream ho phase, I would be able to go out with friends, flirt with guys, and have the freedom to hook up with people solely to pursue my own sexual desires.”

An anonymous 28-year-old echoed those sentiments, telling Insider, “I mean, I don’t have anything to say other than I can’t wait to reclaim my title as the make-out bandit at the bar.” (Relatable, tbh!)

Some are just looking for some good ‘ol wining and dining, because surviving a pandemic has been lonely AF for pretty much all of us. A 26-year-old New York City resident shared, “I’ve put my dating life mostly on hold for the last year, and I’ll be honest, it’s been kind of lonely. The thing I’m looking forward to most is actually being able to date again and feeling like it’s safe to do so.”

Of course, it’s worth noting that the vaccine isn’t foolproof and that there’s still a chance of contracting COVID-19 even after you’re fully immunized. And the U.S. alone is still reporting nearly 80,000 new cases per day, though more and more Americans are getting vaccinated with each passing week. Still, this summer is certainly slated to be a steamier one by all accounts, so we don’t blame you for shooting your shot with that cute stranger on the street or the crush you’ve been harboring since before COVID. Your time is coming.