There are times when it's not great to hear the number zero, particularly after you ask how many slices of pizza are left. Then again, during a pandemic, hearing the number zero has become a good thing.
Over the weekend, Arkansas reported its third straight day without any covid-19 deaths. The paper has more:
"The last time that happened, in May 2020, Arkansas was holding steady at 98 total deaths and fewer than 5,000 total coronavirus cases. The Arkansas Department of Health on Sunday reported 5,661 total deaths and 332,153 total coronavirus cases since the pandemic reached the state in March 2020."
The streak didn't last. But it gave hope to Arkansans over the weekend. Things are improving. Will improve. Have improved.
Every day, thousands of Arkansans are getting one of the approved covid-19 vaccines. And the payoff for that seems to be declining infection rates and a decrease in deaths.
Back in January when things seemed to be at their worst, Arkansans would have given just about anything to see death rates decline even a little bit. But zero seemed an impossibility.
With every day that passes, the numbers for covid-19 are looking better and better, particularly in Arkansas. Things aren't going to magically return to normal tomorrow, but the fact that the CDC now says fully vaccinated folks can travel with relatively low risk of infection seems huge.
You can start planning for life to return to some level of normality once you're fully vaccinated. Some folks haven't been on vacation in more than a year.
To make sure every covid-19 number gets down to zero, and stays there, make sure you get your vaccine when an appointment opens up. Humanity is winning, but the situation isn't over yet.