COVID fatigue is real, and so many of us are tired of the stress, anxiety, and limitations that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our lives. With the Omicron variant currently running the program, cases in many countries are higher than they ever were.
Parents wonder, understandably, when they can at least lower their guard a little and return to a little normalcy – whether that version of normal goes to a coffee shop on a Sunday afternoon or an indoor play gym with the kids. The answer is not yet. Here’s what you need to know.
The atlantic ocean talked to it Justin Lessler, PhD, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who made it clear that we need to be very careful, even if cases hit a plateau and start to decline. He warns that when people hear that things are starting to turn down, “psychologically, they become loose.” This is something we should avoid.
“Masks go down. Schools, workplaces and recreation rooms reopen. People are re-joining social circles, or starting new ones, ” The atlantic ocean warn. “Smaller shifts like this, multiplied by millions, can turn a waterfall decline into molasses.” In other words, scaling back on precautions at the beginning of a downturn can prolong the overall boom, and that’s the very last thing we want. You will soon be able to go back to the routine you developed for low levels of COVID, but if you do it too soon, it can get us all in trouble.
We are probably not at the peak of Omicron yet. (If you look at data from the past few days, be careful: Case reports are not always taken into account immediately during holidays.) And even if the peak is just around the corner, there is more to the pandemic and the risks we face. need to consider. Yes, as many experts have said, it is most likely you and your children will get COVID sometime. But postponing that date is better than letting go of your vigilance and contracting the disease now.
Why is this? For one, children under five are not yet eligible for the vaccine, and two doses of the vaccine have significantly improved how well people can handle a coronavirus infection.
Hospitals are full of people struggling with COVID, and many emergency rooms are dangerously overwhelmed. Keeping in mind that hospitalizations tend to lag behind with new case reports, the danger of a COVID surge is not over when cases start to decline. And if you delay a serious illness, more COVID medications may be available that increase your chances of recovery. Add staffing issues due to hospital staff being sick with COVID or in quarantine due to exposure to the virus, and medical care seeing huge delays, with some people being turned away because there are no resources to care for them – which applies for non-COVID reasons. (To avoid the emergency room for any reason – not just COVID-19 – for ourselves and our children at all costs is essential at the moment, especially with a blood deficiency.)
And of course, the country is not all in the same place with the Omicron wave; some may decrease slowly while others are still increasing.
We want our children to have a life that is at least a little closer to normal. But the reality is that we are not there yet. We must remain vigilant. We must do what we can to prevent us from getting sick, and to prevent our children from getting sick too.
