PHOENIX — More than 3 million vaccines have been distributed in Maricopa County alone.
Restrictions are beginning to be lifted all over the state as life slowly seems to be returning to normal.
“Everything was flipped upside down. Pretty quick too,” Amanda Lewis said.
12 News is following three people on their post-vaccine journey and to tell the story of getting back to normal.
Amanda moved to Arizona for school and decided to stick around.
"It just felt like home to me," Lewis said.
Before moving to Arizona, Lewis said she only knew two people. So she joined a book club, made friends and enjoyed going out.
"Going out, go out for drinks, have fun, have girls nights, pool days, of course, being from Seattle you don’t have the same amount of sun," Lewis said.
When things began to shut down in mid-March those nights out with the friends dried up. So did store shelves.
"All of a sudden I can’t find food I can't find groceries," Lewis said.
Happy hour became hikes. She got a new job, working remotely the entire time.
She caught COVID but only experienced mild symptoms. She also met her new boyfriend later in the year.
"This pandemic will, at some point, be in our history books," Lewis said.
Candyace Lindsay saw the pandemic take away a lot of what she loved to do.
"I'm usually out and about. Seeing people. hugging people, etc," Lindsay said.
Lindsay said she was very involved with her church, along with special tea times with friends. Those events dried up as well as folks became more cautious. Even Church moved online.
"Initially I had gloves I had wipes I had Lysol spray. Because you heard so many things on how to be safe," Lindsay said.
For Josephine Zahn, the pandemic first seemed to hit home while she was overseas.
Zahn loves to travel. She was visiting London with her two kids when they started to see reports of panic buying back home.
“We were watching the pictures of people going to target and store and seeing the bare shelves and we just really didn’t think it was reality,” Zahn said.
While their trip winded down, so did international travel. Zahn and her kids would catch one of the last flights out of the UK before flights were stopped.
When they came home they found shelves empty.
Her daughter, a high school senior, would never return to class. Instead, she would miss out on so many of the senior traditions.
"We missed out on birthday celebrations, and Mother's Day and holidays,” Zahn said.
The vaccine for these three women hopes to show a path to normalcy.
For Zahn, she hopes it can mean traveling again, and an ability to meet new people without wondering what it could mean for her health.
For Amanda, she hopes it means she doesn't have to worry about wearing a mask on a plane. That she can go visit family in Seattle.
For Lindsay, she is already starting to see the benefits. This Mother's Day she was back in church. Able to worship with people in person, instead of through a TV.
COVID-19 News and Updates
Subscribe to the 12 News YouTube channel to receive notifications on the latest videos about the latest information on the coronavirus.