On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak to be a global pandemic, unleashing a historic fight against respiratory disease that has killed more than 2.6 million people worldwide in the year since then. In the first few months, there was an unprecedented effort to produce personal protective equipment amid global scarcity, as well as a rapid effort to develop and distribute test materials for the virus, as companies began working on a vaccine using new technology. sequencing.
People were closed in, companies closed and classrooms locked. Sanitation products flew off the shelves while federal authorities tried to contain the virus by blocking weeks or trying to stock up on ventilators for the expected flow of patients hospitalized with coronavirus.
Former President Trump formulated a White House Task Force COVID-19 and Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx became household names. Google searches for hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir skyrocketed as early searches for potential treatments began to emerge.
A year later, with three COVID-19 vaccines recently receiving FDA authorization for emergency use in the United States, several states are beginning to reverse coronavirus-related restrictions, such as mask rules and social limits, but several health experts warned against in the fight too early.
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“After a year of this struggle, we are tired, lonely, impatient,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the newly appointed director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a statement released on Thursday. “There have been many missed family gatherings, many missed milestones and opportunities, many sacrifices. And yet, despite everything, there is determination; there are stories of giving and hope, of resistance and perseverance. We are better together and together, we will resist.”
Walensky said the increase in the distribution of vaccines in the United States gives him hope, but more work remains to be done. On Wednesday, Moderna announced that it would start testing new booster shots to combat emerging variants, namely B.1.351, which was first detected in South Africa and was found to impact the neutralizing antibodies produced existing vaccines.
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In the United States, about 10% of the population has been fully inoculated against the virus, which has led the CDC to recently release guidelines on activities that can be safely resumed in this population.
“These new recommendations are a first step in our process of returning to everyday activities – spending safe time with family and friends, hugging our grandparents and grandchildren and celebrating birthdays and holidays,” said Walensky, in part. “As we accumulate more evidence to support safe return to daily activities, continue to take precautions in public and when you are around people who are at high risk for serious COVID-19 disease. If you are already vaccinated or not yet vaccinated, use a well – fitted mask, practice physical distance, wash your hands frequently, avoid medium and large crowds and avoid travel. We know that these measures work to prevent the spread of this virus and help protect others. “
But while social media reflects exciting videos of relatives meeting for the first time in months, the one-year anniversary also serves as a bleak reminder for those who still await the return of all things lost, including personal learning and the ability to socialize or participate in social activities without worries.
The vaccines have not been approved for use in children or adolescents, and Alaska has only recently become the first state to offer the vaccine to anyone over the age of 16. For many older adults, the process of finding an available appointment has proved to be an arduous task. while anxious parents await news of a trial involving teenagers younger than Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, warned that it probably won’t end until next fall.
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“This pandemic will end,” continued Walensky, in his statement. “And our public health work will continue. Under the almost blind spotlight of this crisis, we now clearly see what we should have addressed before – the longstanding inequities that prevent us from achieving optimal health for all. We see the impact of years of neglect. of our public health infrastructure. We see the critical need for data that moves faster than disease, to prevent rather than react. To overcome this pandemic, we must face these challenges head-on and fully embrace innovations, new partnerships and the resilience of our communities that emerged from this crisis. It is the only way to transform tragedy and grief into lasting progress and better health for all ”.
President Biden is expected to speak to the nation about the pandemic on Thursday.