Pandemic: Are we out of the woods yet?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

There is potential that the EU and US might be experiencing another wave of COVID-19 this spring. In the US cases are at an eight-month low, but the exponential growth in infections seen in the EU is the latest evidence that COVID-19 remains a persistent threat with the potential to upend our hopes for moving past this pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci exclaimed, “You need to be prepared that something similar to what’s happening in the EU will happen here in North America. We cannot ignore it and we need to monitor it carefully.” American Authorities Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are gaming out how they will be able to respond if cases get worse. They have discussed the possible reinstitution of mask use indoors and are concerned how hospitals and their staff will respond to this potential spike in patients seeking care.

The heightened concern among government officials comes as $15 Billion in COVID-19 funding has stalled in Congress. America can run out of funds to provide necessary life saving drugs. In anticipation of what may come, American, Canadian, and Global officials are reaching out to EU Health Authorities inquiring about the levels of spread of the sub-variant, and how hospitals are handling the influx of patients. How will such a wave impact North American and Global populations? American authorities believe the virus surge in the UK can be attributed to many factors such as decreasing immunity among the vaccinated, the easy transmission of Omicron and its sub-variant, and the easing of public health restrictions such as indoor mask mandates.

China and Asia regions have had multiple surges, showing that China’s vaccines do not have the potency that Western vaccines have. The BA.2 variant will spread rapidly, showing that a fourth vaccination may be required to boost immunity. While Omicron and its variants spread throughout the globe, the possibility of new variants becomes more likely. Ultimately, various governments are trying their best to cool the public’s reactions to this potential spread. People want to return to their daily lives, and usher out the pandemic in every way. This may well not happen.