Learning to Live With COVID-19

Due to our inadequate early response to the pandemic, COVID-19 is here to stay.

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA.) - The COVID-19 virus continues to claim at least 1,200 lives each week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show the latest surge continued nationally through the final week of 2023.

The surge is attributed to holiday gatherings, travel and the newly identified JN.1 coronavirus variant.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States rose by nearly 17%, totaling 29,059 new patients, marking the highest recorded data since January 2022.

In the last week of December 2023, there were 78,905 emergency department admissions for COVID-19 and 136,668 for influenza, marking respective increases of 72% and 225% from the previous month.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under emergency use authorization (EUA) in individuals 16 years of age and older since December 11, 2020, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021.

Yet, as of Dec. 8, 2023, only about 17.2% of adults and 8% of children nationwide had received the updated COVID-19 shot, according to the CDC.

About 40% of children and adults have received this year’s influenza shot, while just 15.9% of older adults eligible for the RSV vaccine have received it.

After some three years after the availability of vaccine, here’s why COVID-19 still with us in such force:

According to a report Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era from the Lancet Commissions, about 40% of the United States' COVID-19 deaths could have been avoided.

"Instead of galvanizing the U.S. populace to fight the pandemic, President Trump publicly dismissed its threat (despite privately acknowledging it), discouraged action as infection spread, and eschewed international cooperation. His refusal to develop a national strategy worsened shortages of personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests.
President Trump politicized mask-wearing and school re-openings and convened indoor events attended by thousands, where masks were discouraged and physical distancing was impossible."

The anti-vaccine movement (anti-vaxxers) also share much of the blame, spreading misinformation, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories. As a result there is still a lingering mistrust of science, leading to a distrust of vaccines and other proven public health measures.

As a result of our inadequate early response to the pandemic, COVID-19 is here to stay. Similar to the seasonal influenza virus, it is expected to continue to mutate over time.

My wife and I have all available vaccines. Do you?