What Needs To Happen Before The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Considered Over
Huff PostLOADING ERROR LOADING At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March, many of us were hopeful that things would be go back to normal by summer. The best way to accomplish this, he said, would be “by identifying safe and effective vaccines that neutralize the virus and augment the body’s immune response over a reasonable time frame without causing untoward side effects.” Thankfully, it seems like we’re already headed toward this benchmark. “In other words, we have thousands of deaths and infections every year from things like influenza, West Nile virus and even antibiotic-resistant infections, and we have become somewhat used to the idea of a steady, low or ‘normal’ mortality of these agents,” Rohde said. “Experts believe the serious long-term effects of COVID, sometimes called ‘long hauler’s syndrome’ could lead to a second pandemic of illness emerging in people who survived the initial infection and now suffer from a new condition that can surface many months after recovery.” Luis Alvarez via Getty Images There needs to be a wider mask mandate. “While masks aren’t perfect and 100% effective at preventing infection, they are a protective measure that protects both the person wearing the mask and others within the vicinity,” Fagbuyi said.