COVID Is a Terrible Disease, Can We Say We Are Free From Coronavirus?

COVID
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COVID
Courtesy of Province of British Columbia

Coronavirus is a very sensitive subject. Too many lives were taken because of this pandemic. For two long, and treacherous years, we have had to witness the deaths of many of our loved ones and millions more. For two long years, we have had to fight tirelessly to be where we are. This will surely, be written down in our history books for generations to come.

There are many arguments for whether or not we are free from coronavirus. A statement from President Biden mentions, “The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lotta work on it. But the pandemic is over.” Clearly, the president is saying that there is a distinction between the pandemic, and the coronavirus itself. He believes that the pandemic is over, but coronavirus is still here and still floating amidst us.

I personally am neutral on this statement. There are still many countries that are fighting with COVID just as we are, and it is very hard to say that we have completely gotten rid of the pandemic aspect of this disease. At the same time, I do agree with the part that mentions that we are still fighting against COVID. The virus continues to mutate and finds ways to destroy the barriers the vaccine has built. Therefore, COVID continues to be a problem in our nation and many other nations.

COVID
Courtesy of Prachatai

There are many others that say the pandemic is not over quite yet. David Dowdy, MD, an epidemiologist and faculty expert at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says “I think it’s risky to declare the pandemic over when there is always a risk of another wave.” He is against the idea that President Biden first presented since COVID can potentially mutate into something we do not know of and take over the world again.

There is also a variant that is currently out there, that can potentially be the cause of another pandemic. According to Reader’s Digest, “In fact, the Omicron BA.2 variant — sometimes called “stealth Omicron” because its genetic mutations initially made it difficult to detect — is now spreading rapidly through China, Europe, and parts of the United States.” This variant can be something that we consider the next COVID, which could potentially be the next wave David Dowdy was originally speaking about.

In regard to another wave, what would happen if a new wave did in fact happens? According to The New York Times, “Another COVID surge may be coming, and some scientists are warning that the U.S. isn’t doing enough to prevent it from endangering vulnerable Americans and upending lives.” This can go back to the BA.2 COVID variant, the fact that it is spreading pretty rapidly is something that should be concerning to us as Americans. Scientists are still working hard to see what it is that can counter this variant, but it is very hard since it continues to mutate into different versions of the virus.

I personally believe that there may be another COVID wave, and it is something that we in fact have not prepared enough for. If there was another COVID wave, at least we now know the safety precautions that we should take since we have had some experience with a disease of this type. What we do not know, is if those safety precautions will be enough to prevent the spread of the variant if it ever gets spread across the U.S. What we need to do is raise awareness of this variant, and prepare in advance in case there was another wave occurs.

Written by David Loran Jr

Sources:

CBS News: Biden says COVID-19 pandemic is “over” in U.S.

Reader’s Digest: Is the Pandemic Over? Here’s What the Experts Say

The New York Times: Could the U.S. See Another Covid Wave?

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Province of British Columbia’s Flickr Page (Creative Commons License)

Inset Image Courtesy of Prachatai’s Flickr Page (Creative Commons License)

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