John McCullough was a contact tracer in Alexandria’s health department. He got a chilling glimpse into the horrors and coronavirus.

He did his part to protect himself and his community: he stayed at home most of the time, wore his mask, and only a small group of people interacted with him.

He was able to get vaccinated as quickly as possible and is now enjoying the normalcy that he longs for. Local and state leaders removed mandates and restrictions to stop the spread of the virus. Experts claimed that Americans who had their shots could return to pre-pandemic levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced fully vaccinated people could — finally — shed their masks. McCullough stated that he was among those people who was told by the CDC that people can wear masks indoors or outdoors.

McCullough, along with many other Americans who have been vaccinated, are growing increasingly frustrated at those refusing to get the shot.

Since last month, the average daily number of cases has increased by more than 400%. Hospitals are once again crowded with Covid-19 patients, many of whom are younger than ever and are most likely to not have been vaccinated. Some areas of the country have reintroduced mask mandates. The CDC issued a revised guidance in May. It stated that fully vaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors in areas of “substantial” to “high” Covid-19 transmission in order to stop the spread of the deadly Delta variant. This guidance has been cited by more than 80% of the US’s population.

Alabama is the least-vaccinated state in America, and Gov. Kay Ivey spoke out against residents refusing to get shots and said that “it’s high time to blame the unvaccinated” for the increase in cases in her state.

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McCullough resides in Alexandria where 58.4% are fully vaccinated. According to a news release from the city, the city was “elevated” to a condition of significant COVID-19 community transmission. Residents are being asked to use masks indoors by health officials. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Virginia Governor, made the same recommendation Thursday to residents. He said that “getting vaccinated” is the best way to end this pandemic.