Americans are indomitable. From sea to shining sea our spirits are resolute and our hopes are high. We want heroes. We want to win every battle and defeat every foe. How can it be that we are entering month 15 of the coronavirus pandemic?

We have long looked to Gov. Jay Inslee to lead us out of the restrictions of 25% capacity of seemingly everything and to loosen the yoke stifling businesses, especially on restaurants, which lengthens tourists stays in La Conner.

Tuesday Inslee gave the state’s residents and businesses a gift, providing a two week pause, keeping most counties in Phase 3 of his Roadmap to Recovery plan even though new COVID-19 cases continue to rise. They are dramatically up in Skagit County. April’s 494 cases are a 130% increase from March.

No, we have not conquered the pandemic, not statewide and not in Skagit County.

As County Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Leibrand pointed out in a phone call yesterday, besides our physical health. the state of our mental health is increasingly an issue. “The biggest thing he is looking at is the negative effects on our mental health, the negative effects on civility in general. I don’t think that going from Phase 3 to Phase 2 would have done the trick. What will do the trick is to get vaccinated.”

So, we can all breath a sigh of relief. Do that outdoors, in a small gathering, with some distance between people.

It is clear that the governor and state public health officials are balancing mental and economic health, and are well aware of our civil health, our willingness to get along with neighbors of disparate beliefs. The pandemic is not over. Everyone is not vaccinated, but everyone is tired and there is clear recognition of a social fabric that is frayed.

It is not good that Inslee has continuously revised his regulations on restrictions this year. He constantly refers to public health data and yet three times since January has changed or paused on his own guidelines. His words now create a kinder interpretation that does not align with hard data. Cases are going up throughout Washington state.

The push-pull between opening up and increases in infections is real and continues.

Meanwhile, more people are vaccinated, especially on the west side of the Cascades. The state reports over 110,000 doses have been given in Skagit County. That does not mean 55,000 people have two doses, but perhaps better, perhaps more than half the county’s 130,000-plus residents have had one shot.

Health professionals and politicians are in lockstep that the way to beat back the pandemic is vaccination. More doses are available weekly. Everyone 16 and older is eligible. The shots are free. The route to recovery is through a needle.