EDITORIAL: Remain vigilant in our fight against COVID-19

The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

Feb. 27—Whitfield County passed a grim milestone this week as our number of confirmed deaths attributed to COVID-19 passed 200.

As of Friday, Whitfield County had 204 confirmed deaths and 10 probable deaths caused by COVID-19, according to the state Department of Public Health. Whitfield County is tied with Walton County for the fourteenth most deaths out of Georgia's 159 counties, although we rank 25th in population. Murray County had 67 confirmed deaths and four probable deaths attributed to the virus.

On Friday, Georgia surpassed another milestone with 15,007 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.

Nationwide, 506,834 people have lost their lives due to the virus.

The virus has robbed us of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and countless others. The suffering has been wide, the suffering has been deep. We mourn the loss of all the people the virus has taken from us prematurely.

While the past year has had its share of tragedy, there have been signs of hope.

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have recently been on the decline throughout the nation. Vaccines are giving us protection from the virus, as more and more people are being inoculated each day. Georgia this month set up four mass-vaccination sites across the state — in Albany, Clarkesville, Hapeville and Macon — while local officials have successfully held several drive-thru vaccination clinics at the Dalton Convention Center. In Georgia, over 1.9 million people have received the vaccine between the Moderna and Pfizer allocations.

While this is all positive news, we shouldn't forget that the virus — along with its mutated variants — still poses an enormous public health risk. We must continue to follow the guidelines set by doctors, scientists, public health experts and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those measures include:

—Wearing a mask.

—Maintaining social distance.

—Washing your hands frequently.

—Avoiding large gatherings.

—Getting a COVID-19 vaccination when you are eligible.

—Following the guidance of public health and the guidelines in Gov. Brian Kemp's executive order.

Let's continue keeping ourselves safe. Let's continue keeping others safe. Let's continue fighting the virus.