The issue isn't that the vaccine doesn't do anything, or doesn't do enough. Vaccines aren't magic shields that protect you completely from getting a virus. But it does weaken the virus and slow it's spread.
If you're the only vaccinated person, you might as well not have it. And in the metro area, Davidson leads the way with like 40+% vaccinated, while surrounding counties are in the 30's. That's not nearly enough to bring the transmission rate down, we need at least 70-80% vaccinated.
Beyond that, we relaxed safety measures like distancing and masking once the numbers started going in the right direction. I said it then and I'll continue to say it, that was a HUGE mistake. Seeing numbers improve wasn't a sign that we can stop doing those things, it was a sign that those things were working and that we need to continue them until the virus was gone. Federal, state and local government has failed our nation massively, fueled by the large contingency of science-deniers (friendliest term I could use for a certain segment of the population).
We need masking, we need hygiene, we need distancing, remote work and learning where possible, capacity restrictions, travel restrictions and every able person to get vaccinated. It's all very simple stuff, but very simply people are undermining the entire thing.