In the nearly two years since the pandemic began, our community, like many other communities, has suffered loss of life, business closures, insufficient hospital capacity, and the impact of COVID-19 on our lives.

In times like this — where misinformation is rampant, viruses make our loved ones sick, there are empty seats on the holiday table, and those who are still looking for work — it’s hard to find good things.

Stark County, we can tell you that the beautiful things that make our lives better and our communities stronger still exist. We must view moments like this as an opportunity to get together.

There are many holidays coming and going this season, but they all have a common theme-gratitude. This is not just gratitude for traditions or festival favorites, but gratitude for those around us.

This kind of gratitude is reflected in colleagues, when they have enough on their plate, he will help a project. It can be seen from the people in the church that he devoted all his energy after retirement to helping the pantry so that other people could eat.

We see this in the doctors and nurses who take care of patients. Gratefulness can be found in the services provided to residents who need accommodation, meals, dressing, gifts for children, park trails to improve their health, and transportation.

We have seen the gratitude of those who came to our vaccination clinic to take steps to protect themselves and those around them from COVID-19. We also see this in our nurses, environmental staff, and administrative and support staff, who have gone beyond responding to the pandemic.

Our community is a place to express gratitude, well beyond this holiday.

This year, we are very happy to have the opportunity to meet our loved ones, and we hope that they have been vaccinated according to the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and may have been given a booster.

Now, any adult 18 years of age or older can receive a booster if six months or more have passed since the second or single dose of Johnson & Johnson.

We get together to relive the past traditions and create new ones. We can embrace our relatives again and enjoy the relationships we all desire.

This year, it is important that you make a plan to meet safely with family members who have been vaccinated. There is a safe way of family gatherings.

Living in northeastern Ohio, it may not be possible to host outdoor gatherings, but wearing a well-fitting mask, testing for COVID-19 before meetings, avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated spaces, and staying at home when sick are some simple ways to keep each other safe And health.

Finally, as your health department, we will continue to provide you with the best information from expert medical voices, virologists, epidemiologists, and researchers on why the COVID-19 vaccine protects yourself and yourself at this time of year and beyond. The best way for others.

We hope that you can visit resources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Ohio Department of Health, and our health department to resolve any questions or concerns you may have.

We still thank all those who spent countless time researching vaccines and those who helped distribute vaccines. You can visit GetTheShot.Coronavirus.Ohio.gov to find appointments near you. These vaccines have passed the normal vaccine safety procedures as the vaccines for you or your children.

They have been proven to help people stay alive and stay away from hospitals. The health of you and your loved ones has always been important to us.

In this season and beyond, it is important to remember that we have more in common. We have always known that we are in this battle together. When we look forward to the coming year, we must stretch out a hand, bump with a fist, or pat each other with an elbow.

If we do this, we can continue to push our community forward. On behalf of our health committee, health department staff, and each other, we wish you a happy holiday and prosperity in 2022.

Kirkland Norris is a health commissioner for the Stark County Department of Health. Dr. Maureen Ahmann is the medical director of the institution.