It’s hard not to feel tricked. Is it 2020 all over again? Worse yet, is this what our future looks like?
From a medical perspective, the answers are both yes and no. Here’s why.
The bad news is that some things haven’t changed. The good news is that despite the sense of déjà vu, this moment is profoundly different from last summer.
And it feels like last year when our biggest fights — about masks, unproven treatments, vaccinations and testing — are about the politics rather than about the science.
Now, the good news.
Which leads to the biggest difference between last year and today: We are in a place of shades of gray, not blacks and whites.
We will likely never go back to full shutdowns, but we must reset our expectations. This virus is never going to fully disappear. And just as 9/11 changed us forever, this pandemic will, too. The statements that we were “back to normal” or that “this will all be over” were, and still are, political talking points. Our world is never going back to pre-Covid “normal.” The sooner we accept that, the sooner we can move forward.
So let me offer hope and a road map, to help move us from this moment to the next:
If you are fully vaccinated, celebrate. I can’t say it strongly enough: Your world is different from what it was in 2020. Yes, breakthrough infections are possible. But for most of us who are fully vaccinated, those infections will be milder. For those who are immunocompromised, or living with an unvaccinated person, you should take a little extra caution — but you do have a modicum of protection that did not exist last year. For this, give thanks.
No matter who you are or where you are, take a minute to think about the basics of air movement and filtration. Our grandparents used to open the windows to clear out the germs. It’s time for us to do the same. When you’re in a building, make sure the HVAC is turned on. When you can, sit near a window. If you are in charge, buy or make air filters. When you can’t control any of the rest of it, wear a good mask if the virus is surging.
If you have political power, advocate for science. To move forward, we need good data and good guidelines. Everyone from the CDC to our local public health departments to our school departments and our hospitals needs to collect and share reliable data with the American public. These facts can help us overcome the uneven guidance, the fictions and the disinformation that so many fell prey to in the past year and still now. Myths spread when truth is unknown.
Finally, expect that some of the official guidelines will continue to change as the virus and what the science tells us about this virus changes.
Most of us grew up in an era of tremendous freedom from disease. Over the course of the 20th century, thanks to vaccines and sanitation, we escaped the daily fear of polio, hookworm, smallpox, measles and more that plagued earlier generations. American physicians watched childhood death melt away; in just the last 30 years, we have entirely changed the way we evaluate and treat young children with fevers. These successes made us feel invincible.
It is therefore scary and frustrating to know that the microscopic SARS-CoV-2 organism can bring our world to its knees, particularly when we thought we had conquered it. We hadn’t, and haven’t. It’s exhausting to be back in this era of constant decision-making. The mental gymnastics required lead to fatigue and resentment of the world we live in after such an isolating year.
Perhaps, then, here is the biggest takeaway from this moment — to be reminded of the bigger picture. Science matters. Community matters. And we are not the masters of the universe, after all.
If there was ever a moment for a serenity prayer, this is it. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” As we enter this next phase of the pandemic, this is what we need most: Patience. Hope. And a sense of humility. We can and will keep moving forward. It’s just going to be different.