Where I'm at, the entire state remains on "crisis standards of care" in hospitals. Indeed, it is like we're back at square one - and most of the people taking space in ERs and ICUs are unvaccinated persons. Meanwhile, the residents of this state continue to act like there's no pandemic, and they refuse to adhere to recommendations for masking and vaccinating.

That said, the vaccinations and masking work for the vulnerable populations. Masking helps to prevent disease - probably way more better than any current vaccine would. The masks won't go away for certain vulnerable populations, sadly. If you're not immunocompromised, elderly, or high-risk, then you could go maskless if you've been vaccinated. For most parties, the vaccinations do prevent severe disease and death, so we're technically not back to where we began there. But in terms of primary (not tertiary) prevention, yes, we're in the same boat. If you want to prevent getting Covid altogether, a mask is required from here on out - at least until the pandemic/endemic is over and/or until they find a cure. People would rather get sick and risk death than get vaccines these days (at least 40% of the population, that is, if they are still alive). So we have to now wait on advances in treatments and cures.

Good luck in funding once they declare that this is now an endemic (the pandemic funding will be ceased, and there will be no more emergency funds to states from the federal or local governments). This is where we are headed, which is worse than a pandemic with certain benefits and protections in place. With an endemic, it will be the "new (dreadful) norm."