It has been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic started to reshape everyday life as we knew it. In the US alone, more than 500,000 people have died as a consequence of the pandemic. The virus went on to infect 111,878,487 people worldwide and kill as many as 2,478,131, according to the Johns Hopkins University. With the arrival of long-awaited vaccines, however, people everywhere are hoping life will return to normal in 2021. But is there a good reason to hope or are governments everywhere still struggling with the pandemic and its effects?
The answer to all of these questions and many others may be more complicated than we think. With numerous variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 circulating globally and access to vaccines still lacking in many countries across the world, both scientists and policy-makers seem to take conservative stances when talking about the end of the pandemic. But while vaccine shortages and infections with new strains are indeed concerning, people still hope that life will return to normal soon. What fuels that hope may be not only new research and data but also confidence that governments everywhere will apply the lessons of 2020 in building a better future.
New Virus Strains
As the US reached the sad milestone of 500,000 citizens killed by the COVID-19 pandemic in February, news about the new strains of the virus started to become more and more alarming. Prof. Helen Rees of the World Health Organization expressed her doubts about “first generation” vaccines, saying they may be less effective than initially expected against these new strains. She also warned that some of the new variants could be more transmissible, making the virus even more dangerous than it already was.
Prof. Rees advised policy-makers everywhere to maintain social distancing measures, even as more and more people are getting vaccinated. “This virus is nasty and this virus knows how to change. If we want to get rid of it, my advice to the politicians is to continue what you are doing – to have these measures,” she added. She is not alone in advising people to continue to observe preventive measures. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart, avoiding crowds, washing your hands, and getting vaccinated when it’s available to you” are now the best preventive actions to take against the virus.
New Strains, New Dangers
Numerous strains of the novel coronavirus are now circulating globally, according to the CDC. Among these are the UK variant called B.1.1.7, the South African variant called B.1.351, and the Brazilian variant called P.1. All these strains may spread more easily and rapidly than other, more controllable variants, which may, in turn, contribute to a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. As governments everywhere already know, an increase in the number of cases may lead to a more severe healthcare crisis, more hospitalizations, and even more deaths.
When talking about the risks associated with the new variants, we only need to look at the United Kingdom to understand just how dangerous the new strains can be. The UK remains badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic despite an early vaccination campaign, with more than 121,536 deaths caused by the virus. Scientists have calculated that there is a genuine possibility that being infected with the new variant can be associated with an increased risk of death when compared to the original virus. The new strain is, according to scientists, about 30% more deadly. However, as the government’s vaccination campaign made good progress and social distancing measures were maintained, positive results started to appear.
Closer to Home
With international news giving rise to hope, Americans are left wondering how soon can life return to normal in the US. According to President Joe Biden, 600 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available in the US by the end of July, enough to meet the needs of the country. Biden also talked about the future, predicting social distancing measures and the use of masks will decrease by Christmas. “I believe we’ll be approaching normalcy by the end of this year and, God willing, this Christmas will be different than last. But I can’t make that commitment to you,” the president added, as he mentioned the new dangers of the pandemic.
However optimistic the message, the president also voiced his concerns regarding the new variants and other changes that might influence the outcome. After all, there is one thing that both people and their governments discovered in 2020: change is always possible during a pandemic, and it might not always work to our benefit. What may be the most important lesson for us all is the fact we must keep our hopes up, but also remain vigilant against COVID-19.
