Millions of vaccinations are performed daily. But, epidemiologists say that it is too early for US states to relax public coronavirus measures without causing the possibility of a different surge in COVID-19 cases. Around 51 million Americans have been completely vaccinated, and experts concede that we are not close enough to achieving herd immunity even today.
COVID-19 Strains and Vaccines
Mitigation efforts like using face masks should stay in place because we are learning numerous things regarding COVID-19, including the following.
- The dangerous COVID-19 strains and how those affect vaccine effectiveness
- Why some vaccinated individuals can develop and possibly spread the coronavirus disease
Speaking of face masks, medical experts recommend KN95 and N95 models. Nationwide, the daily COVID-19 case count has plateaued again, which is not good because it should continue to come down, said physician Anthony Fauci on ABC Good Morning America’s recent episode. The case count plateauing like that signifies a resurgence, said Fauci on the TV program.
Meanwhile, there exist signs that the epidemic is accelerating in a few areas of the US, as 20 states report an over 10% rise in the new case count. Experts feel that there are numerous reasons why it is too early to ease COVID-19 mandates. Some of those reasons are the new, more contagious coronavirus strains, undetected cases, plus concerns regarding long COVID.
Some new variants of the coronavirus exist with mutations that possibly aid those in spreading quicker and farther.
There are also concerns regarding the form of COVID-19 transmission without any noticeable symptoms. Experts feel that beyond those new strains, there is a different worrying reason why it is perhaps not the right time to halt our mitigation efforts like social distancing and face masks. That reason is the possibility of some survivors developing long-haul COVID-19 symptoms. Older grown-ups are likelier to die due to COVID-19, but younger people can become spreaders and they may have long-term issues that doctors still try to completely understand.
Over 70% of people aged 65 years and above have got at least a single vaccine dose. Conversely, younger adults with lower possibilities of developing COVID-19 are still in danger of complications due to an infection.
COVID-19 Symptoms
These are not the circumstances in which the results are binary; one may either die due to bad luck or recover from mild COVID-19 symptoms. We keep learning more information about this virus’s long-term repercussions. The more recent case of death is that of Kent Taylor, Texas Roundhouse’s founder and chief executive officer. Taylor took his own life after experiencing unbearable symptoms associated with the virus, which included tinnitus.
Between 10% and 40% of infected people may develop the longer-term effects, including the ones that possibly impact the heart or the nervous system.
Going back to a normal state may require personal responsibility to a large extent. Several communities still work together to make masks necessary as well as reopen safely, while taking politics out of the equation. All of us should act responsibly for our community and our own health with social distancing and face masks. We all should keep doing our part for a safe return to normalcy.