MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis is doing its dead-level best to put the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror – and get back to some semblance of normalcy. But the reality is, it won’t happen that easily. And it certainly won’t happen without a continued emphasis on vaccinations.
In Shelby County, all residents age 12 and up are now eligible to receive the vaccine. And while we have done well getting older adults vaccinated, younger people, particularly teenagers, have been more of a challenge.
Which is why health department officials continue to raise the alarm about the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus – and the fact that a summer surge of cases could occur among unvaccinated individuals. There are also worries that unvaccinated citizens in surrounding counties in Mississippi, Arkansas, west Tennessee, even Missouri --- could pose a health threat to Shelby residents.
So the issue could not be clearer. The vaccine is our only sure-fire way back to normalcy. But we cannot shame people into getting the shot. We have to help them by making the vaccine easily accessible in every community.
Nothing in our lifetime has been more devastating that COVID-19. The virus has claimed 600,000 American lives – nearly 1700 in Shelby County alone. But thanks for the vaccine, we have turned the corner. And we can’t let up now. Let’s keep getting those shots in the arm. And that’s my point of view.