By LEANNE ITALIE, The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — It's an omnipresent truth: Merriam-Webster has declared vaccine its 2021 word of the year.

Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for the dictionary company, tells The Associated Press that lookups for the word vaccine increased 601% over 2020.

Even more telling, searches on the Merriam-Webster website increased by 1,048% over 2019, before the COVID pandemic took hold.

The selection follows "vax" as word of the year from the folks who publish the Oxford English Dictionary. And it comes after Merriam-Webster chose "pandemic" as tops in lookups last year on its online site.

Visual Artist Luke Jerram Inspires the World

Visual Artist Luke Jerram Inspires the World

Eight Natural Tick Repellents Safe For Humans And Pets

Utica Comets Deliver Turkeys To Rescue Mission Of Utica

The Utica Comets delivered 250 turkeys to the Rescue Mission of Utica ahead of Thanksgiving Day, The turkeys were purchased by the Save of the Day Foundation. The turkey delivery is in its eighth year..

Five Of The Top Ski Areas In CNY

There are a number of ski areas in Central New York, and all offer skiing and snowboarding lessons. Here are five of the top slopes.

More From WZOZ