Macon County Public Health administered its 10,000th COVID-19 vaccination last week, just over three months after vaccine rollouts began in the United States. The 10,000th vaccine went to Macon County nurse Lauren Hickman, who said it was a simple process that more residents should register for so that everyday life can get back to normal.
“It was easy and painless,” Hickman said. “We’ve all made so many sacrifices this past year and this is one of the last things we need to do to get back to normal.”
The vaccine milestone is one of many positive signs in the fight against coronavirus. Another development families are thankful for is in Macon County Schools, where full days without a reported case of COVID-19 have become the rule rather than the exception over the past few weeks. At the Macon County Board of Education’s meeting on Monday night, superintendent Chris Baldwin said that there were only four positive cases in the school system, a third of the 12 who were positive at last month’s meeting.
“These are very good numbers compared to where we’ve been in the last few months and even over the course of the entire school year,’ Baldwin said. “We’ve had a remarkably good couple of weeks in terms of COVID cases and I think that just reflects what’s going on in our community with all that we’ve seen from the health department on the same timeline.”
Emily Ritter, spokesperson for Macon County Public Health, said on Monday afternoon that about 25 percent of county residents have been vaccinated and that number is growing all the time. However, she also stressed that it’s not over yet. There are still too many variables in play to stop taking necessary precautions like regular hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing, especially when not everyone has gotten their shot and not everyone is willing to get one.
“It is impossible to nail down a timeline of when things will ‘go back to normal’ because that depends not just on what we do as a county but on the world around us,” Ritter said. “Even though a large number of us are getting vaccinated, there are many who are not. We still need to be vigilant as a community in practicing our three Ws – Wear, Wash, Wait – so that hopefully we can start to see a return to normal.”
All adults are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination now, regardless of their age or level of risk. Ritter encourages residents to get their vaccinations as soon as possible and join the 10,000 who already have in making their home county safer.
“Macon County has opened up vaccines to all individuals [over the age of 18], so in addition to practicing their three Ws, the best thing Macon County residents can do is to schedule their vaccine appointments,” Ritter said.
To schedule a vaccine appointment, call Macon County Public Health at (828) 524-1500.