It’s been two years, and it still won’t just go away.

COVID-19 remains a part of our lives. It’s been two years since the pandemic erupted across the globe, killing hundreds of thousands. 

Even today, as the death toll from COVID-19 slows, it still has a grip on our daily lives. We’ve been through the disastrous delta variant spike and then through the wildfire-like speed of the omicron variant. Just less than two months ago, the state of Georgia was recording more than 17,000 cases of COVID-19 a day, nearly triple the amount from the delta variant outbreak.

Now, omicron has seemed to have subsided, with daily cases around 1,000, the lowest that rate has been since early December. 

The number of new cases is falling, but COVID-19 remains prevalent. 

The vaccines aren’t foolproof; we’ve seen the instances where those who got the doses and the booster shot still contracted vaccine. 

But it is the best method by far to slow the spread or to mitigate its effects. Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ease their approach on wearing masks indoors, they still say the vaccine is the best method for fighting it. 

For those especially most at risk, through age or other conditions, getting the vaccine should be paramount. 

While Thomas County remains one of the leading counties in the state for residents having gotten the vaccine, it is still behind the state’s overall rate of 55%. Grady County is a little further behind. 

The vaccines have been available for more than a year. They are not perfect but they are effective. We are seeing people eager to return to a way of life from this time 2019 and away from what we’ve had to endure the last two years. 

Getting the vaccine is still the best way to help us get back to where we were.