The Ludacka family had been long awaiting their first big vacation since the pandemic: a 10-day Disney cruise to Australia.
The trip had been on hold for two years due to pandemic restrictions.
“Lost family time,” is what Megan Ludacka describes it as. So this summer, they weren’t going to let anything deter their plans.
“We’re all vaccinated so we’re just trying to enjoy what we can and try not to think about it,” said Ludacka.
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The Ludacka families' outlook is one that many share across the region.
“We started going out three months ago and we’re so happy things are back to normal,” said Hamid, a Carmel Valley resident.
But things aren’t quite back to normal yet. COVID-19 restrictions might be gone, but the virus isn’t. Coronavirus activity across the county remains high but there is good news. After weeks of rising case numbers, the surge appears to be slowing down.
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There were 1,678 COVID-cases reported to the county on Wednesday. That’s 715 fewer than the ones reported the week before.
It’s important to note though that these numbers don’t reflect most at-home testing being done.
A significant update to the county’s vaccine arsenal has also just arrived.
The Novavax vaccine, a protein-based shot, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on July 13 and according to county officials, local pharmacies should already be receiving them.
“I think that can give individuals who may be hesitant about receiving a coronavirus vaccine the understanding that this is not new technology and they might have even received it in other vaccines they’ve had before,” said Ankita Kadakia, MD.
Currently, more than 79% of eligible San Diegans are vaccinated.
So while the pandemic has yet to come to an end, the amount of tools we have to keep us protected only keeps growing.
