In 2020 as we were getting ready to cancel our trip I wondered how things would shake out. There's always a range of people and at far ends are the ones who will never comply with public health measures and the ones who never want the health measures lifted. How will our levels of government manage that?
In many ways, the Feds have it the easiest. Timely vaccine and medication supplies, with backup personnel along with health mandates for Federally jurisdiction workers. The Federal government seemed to think something would be resolved by September 2020 so they could end the CERB program that gave almost anyone to applied $2K/mo to meet expenses along with a program for small businesses for the same purpose. At that time the virus had been identified and sequenced but weird public health things happening. Even though it seemed obvious to anyone who watched the news that this was an airborne thing...choirs, restaurant and cruise ship infection events...doctors seemed pretty intent on emphasizing surfaces. I always thought if a surface was that contaminated, no way would I touch that but mask for something that goes through the air - yep.
After one year - thanks to operation WarpSpeed we had vaccines available. Amazing what having enough money to explore multiple streams, while completing all the required documentation for ethical testing, can do to propel health🤔Even though the companies who brought the earliest vaccines to market didn't use those funds they did benefit with access to things that didn't work and a lot of science developed can be used for other vaccines. Feds did their job by ensuring vaccines supplies for Canadians.
After only two years we have several vaccine options, enough for boosters, 2 medications (also procured and available in Canada) for early stages of infections and the medical profession has established effective treatment protocols. The swiss cheese layers seem to be numerous enough that we need a strategy for lifting COVID restrictions.
But should we?
Being tired of wearing a mask and showing you're vaccinated is not enough reason to abandon health care workers. Being angry because you can't go places because you don't want a vaccination is, again, not enough. I don't know why the idea of "bending the curve" became so onerous but I suspect it has something to do with politicians promoting vaccination as THE end rather than a tool to ending. Have you thought about what would make you feel safe to resume activities? Is there anything that makes you not want to get COVID?
Vaccines that get us to the point where even if most of us are exposed we are unlikely to get infected - even asymptomatically - is huge. I would look at publically available lagging indicators like hospitalizations. When hospitalization at the point all other hospital treatments are resuming and ICUs are at the 80% full level (80% is arbitrary as I don't know how full they were before) for 2 - 4 weeks. At that point attempts to reduce exposure have been effective enough.
As for getting it? Do not want. We don't talk enough about how long people suffer with symptoms after infection much less long-COVID and we don't know the long-term effects of a virus that damages the vascular system. I would not be surprised if we get a slew of unexpected strokes, aneurysms, and heart attacks from people who recovered from COVID (like Bob Sagat). A lot of people now have COVID as part of their medical history.
I just hope we don't move on without learning lessons. We really need to work on HVAC systems to ensure cleaner air for indoor spaces, whether by increased air exchange, sterilization, filters or a combination...and communicate those changes so everyone can understand what it means. More "pop up" facilities to handle overflow patients and perhaps even a corp of medical adjacent professionals that can keep up their skills monthly or annually and be pulled in for emergencies.
As for the pandemic/endemic thing? With the ability to travel widely, endemic viral disease is not small thing.
