The Better News About the Bad News About Pandemic

Here are just a few of the headlines today nearly two years after the first case of the coronavirus in the U.S was reported in California:

Extraordinary number of sick health workers pushes hospitals to brink.

Delayed COVID tests, high student and staff absences complicate schools return from winter break.

San Diego Unified School District plans to require mandatory vaccinations for all students participating in extracurricular activities, including sports.

San Diego State will require a COVID-19 booster for those eligible to attend basketball games at Viejas Arena beginning Jan. 18 against UNLV.

These headlines may make you feel like coronavirus déjà vu all over again. Or that the more things change the more they stay the same.

But despite today’s headlines here at the start of 2022, things are different than they were in early 2020.

A large majority of people from kids to oldsters in San Diego County are vaccinated and many have gotten boosters. According to the latest figures from the state, more than 71 percent of all Californians are now fully vaccinated.

And despite the surge in cases due to the more contagious Omicron variant, the vaccines are doing their job, even if you’re vaccinated and get the infection by lowering the severity of the illness and reducing the need for hospitalization.

So, while things may not be as good as we’d like them, things still are better. And we are all hoping and praying they keep getting better.

(Photo Getty Images)