By Daniel Vega
With all of us entering 2023 together, it really is insane to think that it was just under three years ago when a mysterious virus shut down much of the U.S. and the world, and left a catastrophic rampage in its wake in the years to come. In fact, the first Covid-19 outbreak is speculated to have occurred sometime in early December 2019 according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Kent. This means that Covid-19 began circulating more than three years ago! Now, many people have returned to their day-to-day lives, with most of the U.S. doing away with social distancing and mask protocols. In fact, toilet paper is once again readily available on most store shelves. While the Covid-19 pandemic is definitely taking a less central role in the lives of everyday people, it is important to remember that Covid-19 still remains a part of everyday society and as much as we may want it too, it will never go away.
According to the New York Times, on January 16, 2023, there were about 59,121 active covid cases in the U.S., with 8,408 of these cases being new cases that had just been recorded that day. This can be compared to data provided by the CDC on August 27, 2020, where there were 46,393 cases being recorded on this day alone, and 1,239 new deaths. This data very clearly shows that Covid-19 pandemic as of today is not nearly reaching the record-breaking levels of deaths and infections that it once was, proving that the Covid-19 pandemic has indeed died down since 2020. However, there is a very stark difference between a decrease in cases and the elimination of Covid-19 forever. Although the Covid-19 pandemic truly has relaxed, there are still new cases being recorded each day, and there are still deaths being recorded. As a result of this, the CDC continues to recommend vaccines, handwashing, and masks, as well as self-isolation if someone comes into contact with the virus. (All of the CDC’s recommendations as well as an in-depth description of Covid-19 can be found on the CDC’s website.)
Covid-19 took the entire world by storm in what feels like just a short three years ago. While it has not gone away, many of the steps taken to slow the spread of Covid-19 appear to be working. Covid-19 cases and deaths have drastically decreased from the record-breaking daily case numbers and daily death tolls seen during the early months of the pandemic. However, just because cases and deaths have decreased from then does not mean new variants won’t continue to threaten our lives. There are still tools to help us fight the Covid-19 pandemic that unfortunately continues to live and thrive all around the world; tools like vaccines, good sanitation and hygiene, mask wearing, self-isolation, and more. Let’s utilize these tools and who knows, maybe we can look back in another three years with the knowledge that we survived Covid-19, and look back with sadness for all those who did not.
Sources
WHO.int - https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-weekly-epidemiological-update---21-december-2022
The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
Johns Hopkins University - https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html