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Delaware County Holds Vigil To Remember 1,800 Residents Who Died Of COVID

MEDIA, Pa. (CBS) -- Throughout the entire country, the COVID-19 outlook is steadily improving. Officials in Delaware County don't want to lose sight of the devastating impact the virus has had on the community over the last two years.

In Media, a memorial was held for more than 1,800 residents who lost their lives to COVID.

Pennsylvania's first confirmed COVID case was in Delaware County. The virus reared its ugly head in early March 2020.

Like covering a long-duration major storm, for many after two long years, it feels like the COVID storm that upended so many lives is leaving the coast and heading out to sea.

The death toll in Delaware County is 1,800.

"These are our family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers," said Dr. Monica Taylor with the Delaware County Council.

On Tuesday, county and state leaders held a vigil remembering those no longer here due to COVID.

"These are our parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings," Delaware County Councilman Richard Womack said.

CBS3 charted the darkest of days.

From the local funeral industry buckling under the number of dead -- undertakers at one point were left to bury triple the normal rate.

And darkened classrooms -- thousands of students learned virtually.

We closed our businesses in the interest of safety and hedged bets on what did essential and non-essential business mean.

There were few winners, and many lives shattered -- physically, mentally, financially. We searched for optimism.

We celebrated front-line workers, rallying behind them for their courage.

We saluted our school staff members, teachers, and principals.

We paraded.

And declared victory for those who beat COVID when we knew very little about this virus.

Then, we had a vaccine. Front-line workers again scrambled, this time to inoculate the masses.

"It's truly so hard to believe that two years ago our lives were completely different than they are today," state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti said.

Indeed, we did change our lives.

And while we stop to remember those no longer with us, a simple gathering of people like this shows we are in better days.

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