Local health officials see a light at the end of the tunnel over a year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a meeting of the Macon County Board of Health on Thursday, Public Health Director Kathy McGaha had good news to share. The department has overseen 12,000+ vaccinations, including 104 to children 12 and up who have responded well to it. Thursday was also a historic moment for the department for being the first day when they administered all three of the major vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Best of all, the number of people who are currently positive for the disease has reached lows it hasn’t seen since the early days of the virus.
“As of today, we have seven active positives,” McGaha said. “That’s the lowest that we’ve seen in a very long time.”
The story is the same at the state level. This was the first meeting of the board since Gov. Roy Cooper announced on May 14 that he was lifting most requirements for wearing masks, as well as all restrictions on mass gatherings and social distancing. Cooper, as well as Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen, says that the decision was in compliance with CDC guidance and has been made possible by widespread vaccination.
“I am so proud of the incredible progress we have made in beating back this pandemic,” said Cohen. “Vaccines continue to be incredibly effective at protecting individuals from this terrible virus. And as more and more people get vaccinated, the results show in our stable metrics with lower cases, lower hospitalizations and lower deaths.”
However, it’s not over yet. Truly defeating the virus will take near universal vaccination, which is the next big obstacle in health officials’ way. Communicable disease nurse Jamie Waldroop told the board that 49% of eligible Macon County residents are at least partially vaccinated, but as that number rises, the problem becomes less about people who aren’t aware of the vaccine and how to get it and more about people who simply don’t want it. With cases still popping up and two Macon County residents dying of the virus just last week, a full public commitment to vaccination remains the most effective path to ending the pandemic.
“All in all, we’ve provided over 9,500 COVID tests, given over 12,000 vaccines and at this point, we’re seeing kind of a decline in people who are getting the vaccine,” Waldroop said. “If there’s any way we can encourage all folks who can to get it, obviously we’ll be better off.”
The next meeting of the Macon County Board of Health will be on Tuesday, June 22 at 6:15 p.m. in the boardroom at the Macon County Health Department.