A Year Ago We Couldn’t Even Get A COVID Test, We’ve Come A Long Way

I think it would be safe to say that for most of us, this last year has been the hardest in our life. We haven't seen a pandemic like this in our lifetime, our parents lifetime, and even our grandparents. The last time something was this widespread and deadly was the 1918 flu pandemic. There has been a lot of scary times in the last year, but with the vaccine being given to more eligible people this week in Minnesota, it truly feels like we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

A year ago we couldn't even get a COVID-19 test if we wanted one. The tests were in such short supply that if you were sick enough that you might have COVID-19, they'd test you for everything else first, and then only a COVID test after they ruled everything else out.

We were told it would take 12-18 months to get a vaccine IF there even would be a successful vaccine. Operation Warp Speed was underway, and here we are with multiple effective vaccines being administered across the country.

I was watching Governor Tim Walz's news conference today and it was actually the first time I remember seeing a new conference where officials actually offered hope. Most of the last year has been news conference after news conference preparing us for the "worst fall in modern medical history," followed by the "worst winter in modern medical history." We were told we were going through hell this winter and that's from leading scientists studying infectious diseases.

Fortunately, the vaccines that came out proved to be effective. Also we got lucky that the flu season didn't create a "twindemic." In fact influenza cases were extremely low this year. Things are turning around. Isn't it nice to finally hear that maybe there could be light at the end of the tunnel?

If you would like to (and you should) get a COVID-19 vaccine, you can use the vaccine connector through Minnesota's website.