ROANOKE, Va. – Five years have passed since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Globally, WHO estimated that about three million people died of COVID-19 in 2020.
6,587 Virginians died of COVID in 2020, and between March 2020 to December 31 2020 there were 362,832 cases reported in the Commonwealth.
Five years ago, with the changing health policies, and new vaccine, many people were uncertain.
However, health experts said we learned a lot about COVID-19 from five years ago.
Virginia Tech Epidemiologist Lisa Lee, who is also a former CDC official, said one of the lessons learned was to question where you’re getting your information.
“Really look at it and say, is that does this make sense that this is true? Where are the where’s the evidence that this is true? Who is saying this? What are their qualifications? All of this stuff is a way that we have to really be thinking as consumers of information,” said Lee.
While a lot has changed, Lee said COVID will continue to stay with us. She also said people will continue to have symptoms and get complications.
So, she said it’s still important to still get your COVID-19 booster shots each year.
“Get that vaccine so you can prevent getting giving that virus to somebody who might have a harder time with it. You know, somebody who has an immune-compromised or who can’t get the vaccine for whatever reason,” said Lee.
