As the pandemic’s fatigue begins to settle further, the first question on many people’s minds is when society will be able to cut back on health precautions and return to the “normal life” we had known for almost a year. Now, as COVID vaccination efforts begin to pick up speed in the United States and case numbers start to drop across the country, experts are getting a better idea of this schedule. From now on, according to Anthony FauciMD, COVID’s top adviser to the White House, will probably be able to “get back to normal” in just a few months – as long as some important issues are addressed first. Read on to see what he thinks will happen before we can put the pandemic behind us. And for more advice on how to stay safe for now, know that if your mask doesn’t have these 4 things, doctors say you need a new one.
During an air interview with CNN’s Don Lemon on February 2, Fauci predicted that the final stages of the pandemic would likely begin before the end of the year. “I think if we do it right – if we can really vaccinate people efficiently and effectively – we can do it by the end of the summer [or] the beginning of the fall, “he said.
But Fauci emphasized that there were still many obstacles in the way before “normal” could become a reality. “It will be a cohort effect, and what I mean by [that] you’re the one who can’t look at yourself in a vacuum, “he explained.” Normal is a society thing, so what do we mean if we want our society to return to normal, you have to get 70 to 85 percent of the population vaccinated. If you manage to protect people and get an umbrella from what we call ‘herd immunity’, the level of infection will drop very, very low in the community and at that point, the whole community will be able to go back to normal. “And for more information from the White House consultant on what you won’t be able to do, find out why Dr. Fauci said that we can never do that again.
Fauci also pointed out that, in addition to the gigantic task of vaccinating the vast majority of Americans, there is a new enemy that may represent a new set of challenges for public health initiatives. “There is an absolute ‘but’ in that,” he added. “And the ‘but’ is that we have to deal with the variants.”
Fauci warned that the evolving virus could hinder efforts to effectively inoculate the public, warning that “if variants and mutations come and start to become dominant, this will prevent some of the vaccine’s effects.” And to see how far we are from it, check how many cases of new COVID strains exist in your state.
Fauci is not alone in his concern about the recent spread of highly contagious mutant strains of the new coronavirus. In fact, some newfound variants have left experts concerned that another wave of COVID cases may reach the public in the coming months.
“The fact is that the increase that is likely to occur with this new England variant will happen in the next six to 14 weeks,” he said. Michael Osterholm, MD, a COVID adviser to the White House, said Meet the press on January 31st. “And if we see that happen, what my 45 years in the trenches tell me that we will see, we will see something that we have not yet seen in this country.” And to get more COVID news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Fortunately, there is still a solution to the growing problem of new highly contagious strains. “The only way for a virus to mutate [is] if he can replicate, “Fauci told Lemon.” So, if you vaccinate people and double public health measures and keep the level of viral dynamics low, we will not have an easy evolution towards mutations. This is something that people really need to understand. “
“The way to prevent these mutations: get vaccinated and follow public health measures”, emphasized Fauci. And to learn more about the main efforts you must follow, find out why these three things can prevent almost all COVID cases, study findings.