CLEVELAND — Amy Acton, who quickly became one of the prominent voices in Ohio during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, was in Cleveland Friday morning for a special speaking engagement.
Acton served as the keynote speaker for Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing’s 25th Florence Cellar Gerontology Conference. The event took place at CWRU’s Tinkham Veale University Center with Acton expected to speak from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Highlights of Dr. Acton's actions during the COVID-19 pandemic were showcased at the start of the event shortly after she was introduced to the crowd at 8:30 a.m.
"I get emotional watching that," Dr. Acton said after the video was shared.
Acton then spoke about finding the positives that came from the COVID-19 pandemic and the direction the state is headed.
"There are so many things that we can move now that we couldn’t before. Our supply chain is coming back, which is great for Ohio,” said Acton.
Her comments that followed, which you can watch in full below, detailed a timeline and her reflections of what happened during the events of the COVID pandemic.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to have served in this way as a very, very ordinary person," she said as she closed her comments to applause.
During the question-and-answer session, Dr. Acton also addressed the future of living with COVID.
“I suspect that this is going to remain a disrupted time from what it looks like around the world -- and it might last many years to come.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE WITH DR. ACTON:
- Dr. Amy Acton to lead nonprofit aimed at growing central Ohio’s future with nature
- Dr. Amy Acton on early days of pandemic and how to move forward in the 'next phase'
- 2 years later: A look back on the anniversary of Ohio's first confirmed cases of COVID-19
- Dr. Amy Acton receives JFK Profile in Courage Award for service during pandemic
- 'We don't take this for granted': Dr. Amy Acton reflects on 2-year anniversary of COVID-19 as Ohio continues to rebound
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story on March 17, 2022.
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