MEMPHIS, Tenn. — I keep waiting for the day when COVID-19 is not the major topic daily on local and national news. But unfortunately, that day is still quite a ways in the future. And the reason is, there are still not enough people getting vaccinated.
And yet, there is promising news on the COVID front in Memphis and Shelby County. People 16 to 20-years-old in the city and county continue to lead the state overall in vaccination rates for that age group – at just over 50%. And those age 12 to 15 have a vaccination rate of nearly 47% – which again leads the state.
But while that is encouraging, it is still not good enough. We have to do more to boost the vaccination rate for everyone age 12 to 40. It is simply not enough for older residents to do what’s necessary to fight the virus – when younger, more mobile, and more active people are still lagging behind.
We may be acting as if COVID is behind us, but it’s not. And with colder weather approaching, we could be setting ourselves up for a serious setback.
That is why I fully support those businesses that are imposing vaccine mandates. And I believe local governments should do the same. Because if we ever intend to return to some semblance of normalcy, we have to fight the virus – not each other.