ROANOKE, Va. – Two years ago, a nationwide emergency was declared in the face of the coronavirus pandemic as it rapidly spread across the world.
Toilet paper was flying off the shelves and people were searching for a mask.
But with vaccines and COVID-19 antiviral pills available, New River Health District Director Dr. Noelle Bissell said there are more tools now to battle the invisible virus.
“We are in a different place where we were two years ago,” she said.
She said health systems learned they need better data tracking tools to surveillance cases to help manage community responses.
While the vaccine rollout was tough, she said the political divide and spread of misinformation was the toughest challenge.
“Because people have been so divided there is so much of this absolute binary thinking,” she said. “And that’s been extremely challenging.”
Roanoke Mayor Sherman P. Lea Sr. agrees as he said better communication is his main takeaway.
When the pandemic was tossed on his lap two years ago, he said handling the communal frenzy was his main challenge.
“I can’t get overzealous, overexcited,” he said. “To be calm and encourage our people and let them know we are going to get through this. That’s important.”
Lea said we are now in a much better place.
However, Radford City Schools Superintendent Rob Graham said this year is more challenging than when the coronavirus pandemic began.
He said while pivoting to online learning led to student learning loss, safety will always be his main priority.
Despite the chaos, Graham said his staff is resilient and stepped up when the community needed them the most.
“But put those worries behind them because they knew the community needed our support and their children needed our love and care.”