Well, kind of. We still woke up and the kids had their easter egg hunt. We still had a family breakfast. We are still visiting Grandma and Grandpa for dinner.
But much like last year, and unlike any year before the last, COVID-19 is still a thing. Things are getting better locally, though. Onondaga County has the 2nd lowest positive test rate in the state and 50% of eligible adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Still, numbers continue to climb and we remain vigilant, although with less concern than before: Keith has been fully vaccinated since January, Christine and Peggy since February, and Kevin, Grandma and Grandpa since March. Technically, Grandpa still has one more dose of his mRNA vaccine, but reports are starting to show that the vaccine is 80% effective 2 weeks after the first dose, so Grandpa’s immune response might be more robust after his first dose than Kevin’s is after his only dose. The best news is that both types of vaccines are 95-99% effective against the development of serious illness.
And much unlike any of the last 13 years, Easter was celebrated without a child in the home believing in the Easter Bunny. It is a good thing: no more sneaking, no more waiting until 11:00pm before hiding the eggs, no more waking up before 6:00am with someone overly excited to go downstairs, and no more lies. Still … there is a little part of us that is already nostalgic for those days when we were a bit more tired and the kids were a bit more joyful.
