Covid: Still Not Over!
As the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31, 2020, we were all so hopeful. The covid-19 vaccines that would enable us to safely reemerge into society—maybe even without masks!—were just around the corner. We were promised a year of hedonism, a return of the Roaring ‘20s. But Hot Vax Summer never really began, because new, dangerous strains of covid-19 like Delta popped up faster than we could keep up with.
As 2021 draws to a close, the Omicron variant is wreaking havoc. Restaurants are closing, long lines are queuing for covid tests, and positive test rates are skyrocketing. You’d be forgiven for feeling like we’re living in some twisted Groundhog Day-meets-Pandemic film crossover. Why can’t we be done with this?
The news isn’t completely dire. Though early data has shown that the newest covid strain is more contagious than Original Covid and Covid the Sequel, it also appears to be milder, especially for those who have received three doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. But the sheer contagiousness means Omicron could still overwhelm healthcare systems, leaving the world in a place that’s still precarious. Despite that, the Centers for Disease Control issued guidance this week shortening isolation time for those who test positive, which is, according to scientists, tone-deaf at best and “reckless and dangerous” at worst. Sadly, it’s clear the pandemic isn’t over, no matter how hard we willed it to end.
