A new nationwide survey this week found that most Americans say they have moved on from the COVID pandemic.
They say they look at it as being behind them and no longer worry about getting infected, may be more about the way we want it to be.
But the situation is clearly better than it was even just a few months ago. And with the new vaccines out now that are aimed at preventing serious cases from the newest strains of the virus, the future looks good.
The California Department of Public Health’s announcement this week that it is ending policies that required weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated individuals in high-risk workplaces and schools, is another sign that the pandemic is nowhere near what it once was.
But this doesn’t mean that COVID is gone. It is not. The latest numbers from the San Diego Unified show the virus is still lurking in schools and elsewhere.
The numbers are small, 393 cases the first week after the new school year began and 714 the second week. That’s less than one-percent of the total student staff population in the second largest school district in California. For the record, San Diego Unified still recommends that masks be worn Indoors, but most students are not. Like the rest of us, they want things to be back to normal.
As we approach the third anniversary late this year of the start of the pandemic, everyone is ready to put it in the rear-view mirror. But we also are approaching the colder weather and as we head toward winter, it looks like COVID may become like the annual flu with recommendations to get vaccinated every year.
So it appears we are moving on but not without forgetting what we learned during the darkest and deadliest days of the pandemic and how important vaccinations can be.
(Photo Getty Images)
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